My country urges the international community to confront the excessive accumulation of small arms and light weapons, whose devastating effect on the civilian population has been clearly demonstrated. These arms often constitute a genuine threat to the peace and security of entire regions when they are trafficked and used by terrorist groups to attack innocent persons and threaten States and groups of States.

Immediately after having suffered the horrors of the Second World War, the international community established important legal standards to protect civilians affected by armed conflict.

Despite this progress, we are unfortunately forced to note that civilian populations continue to be the first victims of armed conflict. That reality requires all parties to armed conflict to abide by international law and refrain from any actions that cause harm to civilians.

As the Secretary-General underlines, the proliferation of non-State armed groups has exacerbated the difficulties involved in protecting civilians. When these groups violate international law, they must be brought to justice by the international community. In addition, humanitarian agencies must ensure that humanitarian work is not used by these groups for political ends.

We believe that the international instruments in the area of international humanitarian law, in particular the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, as well as customary international law, give us a solid basis of principles and standards designed to protect all of those who do not take part in hostilities or who have stopped participating.

We are especially concerned with two specific aspects, given their impact on civilian populations — first, the denial of humanitarian assistance, and second, the use of explosives in densely populated zones. Parties in armed conflicts barely comply with the obligation to permit and facilitate access of civilian populations to humanitarian assistance, subjecting them to greater risk.

The Council must implement concrete, effective and forceful actions to tackle these situations. That is crucial for those who suffer the pain of armed conflict and is a requirement for States such as Mexico that are convinced of the preponderant role that the Security Council is called on to play.

Regarding the use of explosives, the fact that there is no specific ban on the use of certain weapons does not mean that those weapons are permitted. We must condemn the use of explosives in areas where civilian populations are concentrated because of their indiscriminate effects and the attendant risks.

Our obligation to respect and enforce respect for international humanitarian law requires us not only to make use of the instruments at our disposal to ensure peace, security and international justice, but also to formulate a robust culture of respect that does away with impunity and repairs the harm inflicted on civilians in armed conflict.

We agree with the Secretary-General that accountability mechanisms should first and foremost be established at the national level. This is in line with the principle of complementarity enshrined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which reaffirms the primary responsibility of States to prosecute and punish the most serious crimes under international law.