PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN UK OPERATIONS AND PARTNER ASSISTANCE

That this House celebrates the 70th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Protection of Civilians mandate; appreciates the action taken, often at considerable personal risk, by neutral humanitarian actors to protect and support civilians in armed conflict situations; is very concerned about the high price civilians and humanitarian workers continue to pay in armed conflicts globally, with civilians comprising the vast majority of casualties facing forced displacement, intentional damage of civilian infrastructure, attacks on medical personnel and facilities, and sexual violence; welcomes the Government's championing of international humanitarian law and protection of civilians in armed conflict, as well as the current review of its strategy; calls on the Government to take note of the recommendations in the UN Secretary General's 2019 report on Protection of Civilians, and to ensure its revised strategy provides a clear cross-Departmental mandate formalising civilian protection as a topline priority in UK operations and UK assistance to partners, and committing to establish departmental roles and responsibilities with a clear implementation plan; and further calls on the Government to better understand the impact of UK military operations, by accurately recording civilian casualties and tracking civilians through the creation of a dedicated civilian casualty mitigation and investigation team that has access to internal and external sources of information and evidence.