General Assembly: 97th plenary meeting, 80th session

Responsibility to protect begins at home, speakers tell General Assembly, amid calls to ‘act before warning signs become mass graves’.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / General Assembly
• Video Length: 02:59:14
• Production Date: 6 July 2026
• Asset Language: Arabic; English; French; Russian; Spanish; Chinese; Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL - UNHRC
• Subject Topical: DEVELOPMENT; JUSTICE; ACCOUNTABILITY; RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT; WAR CRIMES; CIVILIAN PROTECTION; GENOCIDE PREVENTION; DISCRIMINATION; CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY; PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY; ETHNIC CLEANSING; CONFLICT
• Geographic Subject: AFRICA
• MAMS Id: 3603229
• Parent Id: 3601602
• Alternate Title: MTG GA 80 SESSION 97 PLENARY 06 JUL 2026 AM

Description

As conflicts proliferate and risks to civilians mount around the globe, embracing the “responsibility to protect” — an international norm aimed at preventing mass atrocity crimes, such as genocide — is more crucial today than ever before, the General Assembly heard today, in its annual debate on the topic.

“Twenty-one years ago, world leaders made a milestone commitment to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity,” said Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of Secretary-General António Guterres, who delivered opening remarks on his behalf.

Referring to the outcome of the 2005 World Summit, where Member States agreed to unprecedented new parameters for atrocity prevention, he said States remain primarily responsible for the protection of their populations. “However, in cases where national authorities have failed to do so, Member States undertook a promise — a promise to take collective, decisive and timely action in line with the UN Charter.”

Agenda Item 131: The responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity: Report of the Secretary-General (A/80/716) - Debate on the item

Statements delivered:

• Luxembourg (on behalf of the Group of Friends on the Responsibility to Protect)
• Australia (also on behalf of New Zealand)
• European Union (on behalf of The European Union and its member States)
• Estonia (on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic Countries)
• Costa Rica
• Senegal
• Qatar
• Croatia
• Guatemala
• Pakistan
• Republic of Korea
• Portugal
• Nigeria
• Armenia
• Türkiye
• Poland
• Malta
• Hungary
• Czechia
• Indonesia
• Switzerland
• Italy
• Morocco
• Slovenia
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• Nicaragua
• Cuba
• Bulgaria
• Mexico (also on behalf of France)
• Myanmar
• Ireland
• Democratic People's Republic of Korea
• Rwanda
• South Africa
• Argentina
• Uruguay
• Timor-Leste
• Madagascar

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