In that regard, we applaud ongoing efforts to put in place an effective monitoring mechanism to report to the Council instances where humanitarian access is deliberately delayed or denied.

In addition, protection considerations should ultimately inform decisions to drawdown or withdraw United Nations peacekeeping personnel, as well as decisions on how resources are allocated. But, protecting civilians is not just a job for military personnel. For all United Nations actors on the ground, both civilian and military, protection strategies should be clear, concrete and measurable, drawing on clear indicators and benchmarks.

First, it is important that the Council consider comprehensive approaches to the better protection of civilians in situations of armed conflict. We agree with the Secretary-General that new and innovative ways need to be identified to address country-specific situations that are not on the Council's formal agenda.

One of the main challenges in effectively protecting civilians is balancing the imperatives of immediate protection, such as defending civilians from physical violence and ensuring humanitarian access, with attention to long-term protection. In many cases, this means combining traditional peacekeeping components with political and economic tools to address the root causes of conflict.

My delegation very much appreciates the emphasis in the presidential statement (S/PRST/2010/25) adopted today on the critical issue of communication between peacekeepers and local populations. A positive two-way dialogue is an indispensable element of a comprehensive and effective protection strategy.

I reiterate the great importance that Brazil attaches to the protection of civilians by peacekeepers. I also reaffirm our firm belief that the protection of civilians is a multidimensional task that must be pursued by all mission components in the field and by both the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support at Headquarters.

Among the several aspects of such a wideranging issue as the protection of civilians, I would like to focus my comments today on three points: reporting, peacekeeping and the root causes of conflict. Comprehensive though they may be, periodic reports of the Secretary-General on the protection of civilians have not provide detailed enough information on the protection aspects of all agenda items where such aspects are of concern.

My delegation also agrees that while significant advances have been made in the past decade to develop a comprehensive policy and an institutional framework for the protection of civilians in armed conflict, and that while such discussions continue, urgent measures should be taken to stem the tide of human rights violations on the ground.

Botswana notes with appreciation the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General and finds them to be a useful framework for guiding the actions of concerned parties in addressing the core challenges, which are: compliance with international law by parties to a conflict, the protection role of United Nations peacekeeping missions, humanitarian access, and accountability for violations of international law.

Botswana appreciates the thorough and comprehensive report of the Secretary-General on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, dated 11 November 2010 (S/2010/579). We note the chilling message contained therein, to the effect that “Whether as the intended targets of attack or the incidental victims of the use of force, civilians continue to account for the majority of casualties in conflict” (ibid., para. 3).