Secondly, in strengthening the protection of civilians, attention should be paid to addressing the root causes and symptoms of conflict. The deployment of United Nations peacekeeping operations alone cannot offer a fundamental solution to the protection of civilians. The Security Council should prioritize preventive diplomacy in order to prevent and mitigate conflict.

First, the protection of civilians in armed conflict must be strengthened in line with the Fourth Geneva Convention, international humanitarian law, and the principle of respect for State sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. National Governments bear the primary responsibility for protecting their own citizens.

We also acknowledge the importance of including civilian protection as a component of the mandates of peacekeeping operations, including clear guidelines and intervention standards to effectively implement that aspect of the mission. That must be done without prejudice to the primary responsibility of host Governments to protect their own civilians.

Respecting and implementing international humanitarian law are inextricably linked to combating impunity. Eradicating impunity should be seen as part of a comprehensive focus on seeking sustainable peace, justice, truth and national reconciliation.

In that context, peacekeeping operations have become multidimensional and have distinct components linked to the protection of civilians, such as the monitoring of human rights, humanitarian assistance, capacity-building, the restoration of infrastructure and services, and security sector reform, among others.

Chile welcomes both the normative measures that have been adopted and practices on the ground itself aimed at preventing and attenuating the effects of violence against civilians in armed conflict, as pointed out by the Secretary-General in his report. Chile also commends the establishment in the Security Council of the informal Expert Group on the Protection of Civilians. We appreciate its excellent work.

Chile condemns the recurring attacks on camps for refugees and internally displaced persons and on humanitarian personnel. We also reject the use of sexual violence and forced displacement as tactics of war, the widespread recruitment of children, the proliferation in the illicit traffic and undue use of small arms and light weapons, and the danger represented by anti-personnel landmines and unexploded ordinance left over from warfare.

Thirdly, Canada believes that enforcing strict accountability for those who target civilian populations is fundamental. States must fulfil their obligations to investigate and prosecute persons suspected of such crimes, and, where appropriate, cooperate with international judicial institutions to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.

Ten years after the adoption of Security Council resolutions 1265 (1999) and 1296 (2000), the linkage between civilian protection and the maintenance of international peace and security has been firmly established.

Secondly, comprehensive protection strategies need to be fully integrated into the day-to-day work of United Nations country teams and peacekeeping missions. For the latter, it is important that protectionof- civilian mandates be fully considered in the planning, resource-allocation and training stages of missions.