It is deplorable that so many civilians suffer the consequences of armed conflicts. Far too often, women, men, girls and boys are directly targeted, killed, maimed or injured. We still witness too wide an interpretation of what constitutes legitimate military targets.

Thirdly, with regard to enhancing accountability, the perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian law must be brought to justice. Norway firmly believes that we need to enhance the effectiveness of accountability mechanisMs. We welcome the commitment of the Security Council to establish a stronger protection framework for children in armed conflict, most recently through resolution 1882 (2009).

Secondly, with regard to protection by United Nations peacekeeping operations, Norway welcomes the publication of Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence — An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice. We also attach great importance to the ongoing work to develop training modules and scenario-based exercises to strengthen missions' protection capacity.

However, over the past year we have seen encouraging progress in efforts to enhance protection measures in armed conflicts, such as the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the recent amendments to the Statute of the International Criminal Court that extend individual responsibility for the use of certain weapons and ammunition in non-international conflicts. Those are concrete steps in the right direction.

We welcome the Secretary-General's progress report (S/2010/579) and commend its analytical depth and consultative observations. Judging from the wideranging perspectives shared with us today, the protection of civilians in armed conflict is an important yet daunting global challenge.

We also recognize the contribution of some individual Member States and regional organizations to these developments. At the regional level, Nigeria is a signatory to the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa — the Kampala Convention.

The international community should remain vigilant and bear its fair share of our collective responsibility to protect civilians. If we act purposefully and in concert, we can better shield civilians from the ravages of armed conflict. Mr. President, we support the presidential statement adopted earlier that was prepared under your guidance (S/PRST/2010/25).

The acts of rape perpetrated by rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in August and the recent assault on civilians in Western Sahara illustrate the magnitude of the task of civilian protection. Difficult protection challenges remain in Afghanistan and Somalia.

Post-conflict peacebuilding efforts through the Peacebuilding Commission should also be intensified. Such peacebuilding strategies should not only address immediate challenges, but also lay the foundation for long-term development. We agree with the Secretary- General's recommendation concerning the need to develop a set of indicators for the systematic monitoring of and reporting on protection of civilians in armed conflicts.

Nigeria believes that the responsibility to protect civilians in armed conflict situations is a shared one, although the primary burden rests with national Governments. The cooperative engagement of all actors on the ground and of policymakers is necessary to support national Governments in securing and protecting their civilian populations.