Responsibility to Protect
Responsibility to Protect : A concept that imposes a responsibility on the international community to protect a population that is suffering serious harm, as a result of internal war, insurgency, repression or state failure, and the state in question is unwilling or unable to halt or avert it. The 2001 Report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) notes that the responsibility to protect encompasses three essential components: The responsibility to prevent a human catastrophe by addressing root causes and direct causes of internal conflict and other man-made crises; The responsibility to react to an actual or apprehended situation of compelling human need, should one occur, with appropriate measures, which may include coercive measures such as sanctions, international prosecution and military intervention in extreme cases; and The responsibility to rebuild after the intervention through the provision of full assistance with recovery, reconstruction and reconciliation. The responsibility to protect is founded on the obligations inherent in the concept of state sovereignty, the responsibility of the Security Council under Article 24 of the UN Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security, specific legal obligations under human rights and human protection instruments, international humanitarian law and national law, as well as in the developing practice of states, regional organizations and the Security Council. While this concept is under discussion, it has not yet been adopted by the UN. (OCHA)
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