UN / RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT

Delivering remarks to the General Assembly on the 20th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world is facing “the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War.” UNIFEED

• Video Length: 00:02:06
• Production Date: 25 June 2025
• Asset Language: English; French
• Personal Subject: ANTONIO GUTERRES
• Corporate Name: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
• Subject Topical: WAR CRIMES; GENOCIDE PREVENTION; CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY; ETHNIC CLEANSING
• MAMS Id: 3417345
• Parent Id: 3416875
• Alternate Title: unifeed250625c

Description

STORY: UN / RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT
TRT: 02:06
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS

DATELINE: 25 JUNE 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, UN headquarters

25 JUNE 2025, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, General Assembly
3. Wide shot, Secretary-General António Guterres walking up to the dais
4. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Today, we mark the 20th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect at a time of profound global turbulence. We are witnessing the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War. These are marked by rising identity-based violence, widespread violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, and deepening impunity.”
5. Wide shot, Secretary-General António Guterres at the podium
6. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“On this anniversary, we must recognize that the Responsibility to Protect is more than a principle – it is a moral imperative, rooted in our shared humanity and the UN Charter.”
7. Wide shot, Secretary-General António Guterres at the podium
8. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“In that spirit, I share today the seventeenth report of the Secretary-General on the Responsibility to Protect. It reflects two decades of efforts, calls for revitalized action, and includes insights from a survey conducted in preparation for this report. We found that the principle holds strong support among Member States. Communities affected by violence see it as offering a ray of hope. But they also call for effective implementation at all levels.”
9. Wide shot, Secretary-General António Guterres at the podium
10. SOUNDBITE (French) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Twenty years on, the Responsibility to Protect remains an urgent necessity, a moral imperative, and an unfulfilled promise. Let us keep that promise. Let us deepen our commitment. Let us strengthen our cooperation. And let us make the prevention of atrocities and the protection of populations a permanent and universal practice.”
11. Wide shot, Secretary-General António Guterres leaves the podium

Storyline

Delivering remarks to the General Assembly on the 20th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world is facing “the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War.”

Guterres added that these crises are “marked by rising identity-based violence, widespread violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, and deepening impunity.”

Guterres stressed that the principle of the Responsibility to Protect - commonly referred to as R2P - remains central to the UN’s mission. “On this anniversary, we must recognize that the Responsibility to Protect is more than a principle – it is a moral imperative, rooted in our shared humanity and the UN Charter,” he said.

The Secretary-General presented his seventeenth report on the Responsibility to Protect, which reviews two decades of international efforts and outlines the need for renewed action. “We found that the principle holds strong support among Member States. Communities affected by violence see it as offering a ray of hope. But they also call for effective implementation at all levels,” Guterres said.

The UN chief also reiterated that the world still falls short of delivering on the promise of protecting populations from atrocity crimes. “Twenty years on, the Responsibility to Protect remains an urgent necessity, a moral imperative, and an unfulfilled promise,” Guterres declared. “Let us keep that promise. Let us deepen our commitment. Let us strengthen our cooperation. And let us make the prevention of atrocities and the protection of populations a permanent and universal practice.”

The Responsibility to Protect, endorsed by UN Member States in 2005, affirms that governments have an obligation to shield populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. It also tasks the international community with taking collective action when states fail to do so.