Responsibility To Protect More Than A Principle — It Is A Moral Imperative

“The responsibility to protect is more than a principle — it is a moral imperative, rooted in our shared humanity and the U.N. Charter” – with these words, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the importance of the political commitment made by the world’s leaders some 20 years ago. Twenty years ago, at the 2005 World Summit, world leaders affirmed the responsibility of individual States to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, including through the prevention of these crimes and their incitement. They further agreed to encourage and help other States, as appropriate, to exercise that responsibility, and do so by using appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, among others. This political commitment of the Responsibility To Protect (R2P) was born from the horrors of the atrocities in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, and was to ensure that “never again would the international community stand silent as innocent lives were destroyed by the gravest crimes.”

Nonetheless, two decades later, the commitment appears to be greatly unfulfilled. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking before the U.N. General Assembly on June 25, 2025, stressed that the world is witnessing the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War: “Conflicts are becoming more protracted, complex and interconnected, while emerging threats such as the weaponization of new technologies and the proliferation of advanced weaponry require a constant adaptation to prevent the commission of atrocity crimes and to protect populations.” He added that “too often, early warnings go unheeded, and alleged evidence of crimes committed by States and non-State actors is met with denial, indifference, or repression. Responses are often too little, too late, inconsistent or undermined by double standards; civilians are paying the highest price.”

Shortly before the meeting, the U.N. Secretary-General published a report looking into the two decades of the R2P. The report highlights efforts achieved through national prevention mechanisms or under regional leadership, demonstrating that early diplomacy, early warning and institutional innovation can be effective in preventing and responding to atrocity crimes. The report emphasizes the need to mainstream atrocity prevention across the United Nations system — from humanitarian action to peacekeeping to human rights. The report also calls for integrating early warning, supporting national prevention mechanisms and embedding atrocity prevention in the broader agendas of sustaining peace, human rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report emphasizes three priority areas for future action: (1) developing permanent prevention mechanisms at the national level, (2) enhancing regional dialogue to share lessons and strengthen cooperation, including through regional consultations, and (3) developing strategic and technical guidance on implementing the R2P at the domestic, regional and multilateral levels.

During the meeting at the U.N. General Assembly, several States raised their concerns in relation to the progress made (or not made) over the last two decades. Among others, several countries stressed the importance of the prevention of atrocity crimes, as the only way to prevent deaths and suffering. The representative of the European Union, speaking in its capacity as observer, stressed that all Member States must support both the Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes, as well as the French-Mexican initiative on refraining from the use of veto (by the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council) in the case of mass atrocities. Australia’s delegate, speaking also on behalf of Canada and New Zealand, referring to the reported violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen, stressed the importance of combating impunity and called for full accountability for atrocity crimes through appropriate national and international investigative and justice mechanisms, such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

As atrocity crimes are raging on globally, States must ensure that they implement their political commitments, such as the R2P, but also their legal obligations, such as the duty to prevent genocide (enshrined in the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide) and other international treaties. Protecting civilians and preventing atrocity crimes cannot be left to chance.