A/RES/60/123
Conventions of 12 August 1949 2 and the obligations applicable to them under the
Additional Protocols thereto, of 8 June 1977, 3 to ensure the security and protection
of all humanitarian personnel and United Nations and associated personnel,
Welcoming the fact that the number of States parties to the Convention on the
Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, 4 which entered into force on
15 January 1999, has continued to rise, the number now having reached seventynine, and mindful of the need to promote universality of the Convention,
Deeply concerned by the dangers and security risks faced by humanitarian
personnel and United Nations and associated personnel at the field level, as they
operate in increasingly complex contexts, as well as the continuous erosion, in many
cases, of respect for the principles and rules of international law, in particular
international humanitarian law,
Commending the courage and commitment of those who take part in
humanitarian operations, often at great personal risk, especially locally recruited
staff,
Expressing profound regret at the deaths of international and national
humanitarian personnel and United Nations and associated personnel involved in the
provision of humanitarian assistance, and strongly deploring the rising toll of
casualties among such personnel in complex humanitarian emergencies, in particular
in armed conflicts and in post-conflict situations,
Strongly condemning acts of murder and other forms of violence, rape and
sexual assault and all forms of violence committed in particular against women, and
intimidation, armed robbery, abduction, hostage-taking, kidnapping, harassment and
illegal arrest and detention to which those participating in humanitarian operations
are increasingly exposed, as well as attacks on humanitarian convoys and acts of
destruction and looting of property,
Expressing concern that the occurrence of attacks and threats against
humanitarian personnel and United Nations and associated personnel is a factor that
increasingly restricts the provision of assistance and protection to populations in
need,
Recalling the inclusion of attacks intentionally directed against personnel
involved in a humanitarian assistance or peacekeeping mission in accordance with
the Charter as a war crime in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 5
and noting the role that the Court could play in appropriate cases in bringing to
justice those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law,
Reaffirming the need to ensure adequate levels of safety and security for
United Nations personnel and associated humanitarian personnel, which constitutes
an underlying duty of the Organization, and mindful of the need to promote and
enhance the security consciousness within the organizational culture of the United
Nations and a culture of accountability at all levels,
_______________
2
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, Nos. 970–973.
Ibid., vol. 1125, Nos. 17512 and 17513.
4
Ibid., vol. 2051, No. 35457.
5
See Official Records of the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the
Establishment of an International Criminal Court, Rome, 15 June–17 July 1998, vol. I: Final documents
(United Nations publication, Sales No. E.02.I.5), sect. A.
3
2