The attention of the Security Council to the situation of civilians in arme...

The attention of the Security Council to the situation of civilians in armed conflict remains vital and must be at the centre of the Council's deliberations and actions. As the Secretary-General pointed out in his report, that is particularly the case in the many protracted violent crises and conflicts with little prospect of a peaceful resolution in the near future. Indeed, civilians continue to suffer from inadequate protection in situations of armed conflict. A defining feature of most, if not all, conflicts remains the failure of parties to respect and ensure respect for their obligations to protect civilians. The heightened vulnerability of civilians in wartime — in particular that of forcibly displaced persons, refugees, women and children — brings an element of urgency to our protection efforts and to the imperative to restore the rule of law.