UNITED NATIONS, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Wednesday that all parties to a conflict must fulfill their obligations of protecting civilians under international law, while stressing that the global community must address the root causes of conflicts and promote development for peace.

"All parties to a conflict must fulfill their obligations of protecting civilians under international law. The Geneva Convention, International Humanitarian Law and relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 1265, and other resolutions concerning women, children, medical personnel and missing persons, must be fully implemented," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said at the Security Council's open video teleconferencing meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

"We urge all parties to a conflict to refrain from asymmetric use of force in densely populated areas. There should be zero tolerance of harming civilians. It is also critical for all parties to give special attention and care to vulnerable groups in particular women and children, and facilitate safe and unimpeded humanitarian access," said the ambassador.

Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic brings further risk to civilians in armed conflict, Zhang said that all parties should prioritize the interests of the people and take proactive measures to combat the virus.

"Unilateral sanctions severely undermine the capacity of vulnerable countries to respond to the pandemic, aggravating civilian sufferings. We call on relevant countries to lift unilateral sanctions immediately and join the global efforts of combating the virus, including by supporting the leading role of the World Health Organization," said the envoy. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)