The issue of the protection of civilians in armed conflict has been addressed in this Chamber for over 10 years, and we have seen the subject evolve and develop in that time. In this respect, we believe that resolution 1894 (2009) and last year's presidential statement (S/PRST/2009/1) to be of great value.

Peru reiterates its support for the promotion of and respect for international humanitarian law by all parties to a conflict, particularly non-State armed groups.

Other important measures are those taken to punish non-compliance with international humanitarian law in order to put an end to any possibility of impunity. In the context of political support, of equal importance are the role of regional organizations and the contribution they can make to prevention, planning and operations, as well as the support they can provide to national capacity-building for the protection of civilians.

In fulfilment of its international obligations, and with the aim of raising awareness of the framework for the protection of civilians in armed conflict among public officials and civil society, my country has implemented a policy of dissemination of international humanitarian law across the board. We have stressed the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

However, we must remember that we have no time to lose in improving protection on the ground. We need to keep in mind both the multidimensional nature of peacekeeping operations and their various civilian, military and police components, as well as the essential political commitment that such missions require.

Finally, while Peru supports the adoption of presidential statements at the end of debates of this kind — believing that they are instruments of value and utility to the matter under discussion — we also believe it very important that, before any such text is adopted, we also listen to and consider the opinions of the membership on the issue at hand.

As part of this preventive analysis, it will also be necessary to carry out an ongoing evaluation of the risks faced on the ground both by civilians and by those protecting them, particularly in peacekeeping operations. In this regard, we thank the informal Expert Group for its work. We suggest that the Group might also assess the lessons learned from missions carried out to date.

The Government of Pakistan strongly condemns attacks on civilians under all circumstances. Pakistan has been a strong and active supporter of the protection of civilians in armed conflict. Over the years, Pakistan has contributed to international efforts, particularly those led by the United Nations, for the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

Pakistan will continue to do all it can to eliminate terrorism. This we do to protect our people from terrorists and criminal gangs. We seek peace, prosperity and stability in order to achieve our development goals. We have, in this struggle, the full support of our people.

On a different plane, the report seeks perhaps to build an argument for allowing contact with non-State armed groups. This raises many serious questions, including that of the applicability of international humanitarian law to counter-terrorism. Certainly, no one would wish to advocate contact with or sympathy for Al-Qaida and hard-core criminal gangs.