ICISS report - International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect

The Responsibility to Protect 52
6.23 While the Council has from time to time demonstrated a commitment and a capacity
to fulfill this responsibility, too often it has fallen short of its responsibilities, or failed to
live up to expectations. Sometimes this has been the result of a sheer lack of interest on the
part of the five permanent members. Sometimes it has been because of anxiety about how
a particular commitment would play in domestic politics. Often in the past, it has been the
result of disagreements among the five permanent members on what if any action should
be taken. Increasingly, it has resulted from a reluctance on the part of some key members to
bear the burdens – especially the financial and personnel burdens – of international action.
6.24 It is especially important that every effort be made to encourage the Security Council
to exercise – and not abdicate – its responsibility to protect. This means, as Article 24 of
the Charter requires, prompt and effective engagement by the Council when matters of
international peace and security are directly at issue. And it means clear and responsible
leadership by the Council especially when significant loss of human life is occurring or is
threatened, even though there may be no direct or imminent threat to international peace
and security in the strict sense.
6.25 The UN exists in a world of sovereign states, and its operations must be based in
political realism. But the organization is also the repository of international idealism, and
that sense is fundamental to its identity. It is still the main focus of the hopes and aspirations
for a future where men and women live at peace with each other and in harmony with
nature. The reality of human insecurity cannot simply be wished away. Yet the idea of a
universal organization dedicated to protecting peace and promoting welfare – of achieving
a better life in a safer world, for all – survived the death, destruction and disillusionment of
armed conflicts, genocide, persistent poverty, environmental degradation and the many
assaults on human dignity of the 20 th century.
6.26 For the UN to succeed, the world community must match the demands made on
the organization by the resources given to it. The UN has the moral legitimacy, political
credibility and administrative impartiality to mediate, moderate and reconcile the competing
pulls and tensions that still plague international relations. People continue to look to
the UN to guide and protect them when the tasks are too big and complex for nations and
regions to handle by themselves. The comparative advantages of the UN are its universal
membership, political legitimacy, administrative impartiality, technical expertise, convening
and mobilizing power, and dedication of its staff.
6.27 The UN represents the idea that unbridled nationalism and the raw interplay of power
must be mediated and moderated in an international framework. It is the centre for
harmonizing national interests and forging the international interest. Only the UN can
authorize military action on behalf of the entire international community, instead of a select
few. But the UN does not have its own military and police forces, and a multinational
coalition of allies can offer a more credible and efficient military force when robust action
is needed and warranted. What will be increasingly needed in the future are partnerships of
the able, the willing and the well-intended – and the duly authorized.