The protection of civilians in the context of peacekeeping operations is on...

The protection of civilians in the context of peacekeeping operations is one of many tasks established in Security Council mandates. It is related to other equally important tasks and its implementation is viable only within the regulatory framework that sets out the guiding principles for such operations: the consent of the parties, impartiality and the non-use of force. The protection of civilians cannot be conducted outside the political and legal bases accepted by States. A successful strategy for the protection of civilians demands that the root causes of conflict be systematically addressed through actions that have a positive impact on development and using appropriate channels for the peaceful resolution of disputes. As established in international law, States or parties to a conflict have the primary responsibility for the protection of civilians under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Peacekeeping operations are in certain limited cases assigned the task of protecting physical well-being in situations of imminent danger to life, always within the ground deployment of a mission and when required to facilitate humanitarian aid.