What is the Responsibility to Protect? Making Civilian Protection Common Knowledge

After spending this past week working on an article about the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), I found myself wondering if in the past I had missed opportunities to share R2P with those who might be the least familiar and yet most interested in civilian protection. Perhaps scholars, activists and human rights advocates too often take for granted what they think of as common knowledge, only to end up doing a disservice to their cause. In continuing to write for each other, they overlook the importance of writing to those who might be most concerned and least informed about the topic. In light of this realization, I found it important to write this post, in order to give everyone interested in civilian protection a solid foundation on a tremendously important facet of international human rights.

Here is what you should know about the Responsibility to Protect.

In December 2001, the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) released a report entitled “The Responsibility to Protect,” also known as “R2P.” The international commission compiled this report in response to what was felt to be a growing need for the “internationalization of the human conscience.” In short, the report states that each sovereign state ought to be responsible for the protection of its citizens against the crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Additionally, if the state is unable or unwilling to protect its citizens, it must then become the responsibility of the international community to step in and do so. The ICISS explores the proposition of a Responsibility to Protect by highlighting three elements: the responsibility to prevent, the responsibility to react, and the responsibility to rebuild. This means states have a responsibility not only to prevent these horrific crimes, but to respond once they have occurred, and assist in rebuilding the communities which have fallen victim to them. Each of these elements plays a vital role as the international community attempts to protect civilians from harm.

In 2005, R2P was included on the docket for the World Summit. With many important matters at hand, this summit saw the highest attendance in history for heads of state. In the end, 191 countries signed the Outcome Document from this summit, affirming their belief in R2P. It is important to note that this does not mean R2P has become international law. It is still understood as a principle, thus the actions of states are still a matter of political will as opposed to enforceable mandates.

Why is the Responsibility to Protect Important?

In lieu of writing a novel on the topic, I will keep this short and simple. As our world grows evermore interconnected, the need to learn how to respond to human rights violations in a global level becomes essential. R2P is the beginning of what will hopefully be the creation of conventions and treaties which will outline how states must respond to massive crimes against humanity. As the world continues to see the evolution of conflicts from those fought between armies to those where civilians have become the targets of violence, there emerges a growing need to regulate state action in the realm of civilian protection.

For more information, check out the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty or the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect.

Photo credit: Sudan Envoy