Abstract

The term Responsibility popularly called R2P is a world political devotion validated by the entire United Nations member with a major objective “to protect”. However, this validation is fascinated on reactions to dilemma than focalizing on initiative-taking measures. There are several records of instances such as rape violence fueled by the natives of Congo, incessant killings of the people of Rohingya called “clearance operations”, The myriads of people murdered in the post Assad regime of Syria and in Nigeria of course we have the relentless “Boko haram” groups and recently the cattle rustlers which had all been a dent to the security protection of all these Countries. However, in depth research depicts the United Nations Responsibility to Protect have recorded certain achievements notably in Countries like Pakistan, Liberia, and South Sudan in sustaining an immediate peace only for a brief period. It is debatable that the R2P mediation had been a failure in consideration of other Countries violence crime experiences.

History/ emergence of R2P

The Responsibility to Protect (R2P or RtoP) is a global political commitment which was endorsed by all member states of the United Nations at the 2005 World Summit in order to address its four key concerns to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. The doctrine is regarded as a unanimous and well-established international norm over the past two decades.

The principle of the Responsibility to Protect is based upon the underlying premise that sovereignty entails a responsibility to protect all populations from mass atrocity crimes and human rights violations. The principle is based on a respect for the norms and principles of international law, especially the underlying principles of law relating to sovereignty, peace and security, human rights, and armed conflict. The R2P has three pillars:

1. Pillar I: The protection responsibilities of the state – “Each individual state has the responsibility to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity”
2. Pillar II: International assistance and capacity-building – States pledge to assist each other in their protection responsibilities

Pillar III: Timely and decisive collective response – If any state is “manifestly failing” in its protection responsibilities, then states should take collective action to protect the population

 

 

Mandates of R2P

The directives or mandates of R2P are perceptible but fashionable. To maximize efficiency and resources, the Secretary-General decided to establish a joint office between the Special Advisers. To share knowledge, advice, and advocacy as widely as possible, both Advisers follow a similar methodology for early warning, assessment, convening, and learning. There is also a New York office and staff for both organizations.

They work in accord to promote governmental and global efforts to protect populations from massacres, holocaust, mass extermination, and crimes against humankind as well as their incitement. In support of its the Office, The Special advisers collects information, conducts examinations situations analysis across the globe and notify the Secretary-General and relevant actors to the risk of atrocity crimes, as well as their incitement. The Office also undertakes training and technical assistance to promote greater understanding of the causes and dynamics of atrocity crimes and of the measures that could be taken to prevent them; to raise awareness among States and other actors about their responsibility to protect; and to enhance the capacity of the United Nations, Member States, regional and sub-regional organizations and civil society to prevent atrocity crimes and to develop more effective means of response when they occur.

In 2004, on the tenth anniversary of the Rwanda genocide, the Secretary-General launched an Action Plan to Prevent mass murder and sequel to the previous Council’s request, he designated the first Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. Generally, the Special Adviser’s mandate is detailed in a letter addressed to the President of the Security Council by the Secretary-General (S/2004/567). The letter lists the responsibilities of the Special Adviser as follows:

• Compiling existing information about serious and massive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law of ethnic and racial origin. These violations may lead to genocide if not prevented or halted.
• Acting as a mechanism of early warning to the Secretary-General, and through him to the Security Council, by bringing to their attention situations that could potentially result in genocide.
• Making recommendations to the Security Council, through the Secretary-General, on actions to prevent or halt genocide; and
• Liaising with the United Nations system on activities for the prevention of genocide. In addition, working to enhance the United Nations’ capacity to analyze and manage information regarding genocide or related crimes.

 

Challenges Of R2P in Congo

Inability to Intervene into grassroot crises and violence: In other to understand the motive for the focal point of deterrence on national and topical issues and not on native ones, it is pertinent to reassess the three essential conditions for effective deterrence, as enumerated by the Responsibility to Protect study which are early warning, political will, and the preventive toolbox. It has being revealed that the domineering conciliatory customs influenced how international actors understood their roles and the paths towards peace in such a way that these three conditions were available for the deterrence of renewed federal and territorial conflicts but unavailable for local violence deterrence.

Deterrence was also a major concern of promoting efforts encircling the responsibility to protect. Protestors emphasized that deterrence should aim primarily at averting the upsurge, escalation, or revival of violence, and that it should not be principally based on military trial, military intervention ought to be employed only as a final recourse, in a situation where other measures have failed (which could either be economic, political, or diplomatic attempt). However, the Protestors encounters a pertinent hurdle because not either the ICISS commission nor the successive UN altercations and reports provided clear directions on ways to manage relative deterrence. Worse, the doctrine of the R2P’s enactment majorly disregard the deterrence dimension, apart from the 2011 Libya’s international measures taken.

Inadequacy to sustain Intervention over a long Period of Time: This reopening of expansive violence in North Kivu in 2008 is a required reading case of global fiasco to avert protection crises. From the official termination of the war in 2003 to the reopening of expansive conflict in 2008, the circumstances of the provinces from eastern Congo indeed met the standard for global action prescribed by the conviction of Responsibility to Protect. Grave and irreversible distress was happening or impedingly likely to happen to living soul due to internal war, repression, insurgency, and state deficiency. Violence was the outcome partially due to intentional actions by States, partially due to ‘state’s negligence or incapacity to act and partially of a malfunctioning circumstance of state. Therefore, Congo was incapable of fulfilling its role of R2P in safeguarding its people or, to employ measures concurred at the 2005 summit. These incidence paves way for the crucial exigence of a world-wide assistance to the people of Congo to avert a reopening of war.

At the zonal level, the Rwandan administration frequently abhorred that rebel Rwandan Hutu soldiers were present till date in Congo and that they posed an important menace to Rwanda because they added the responsible ones for the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Based on in depth findings, Rwanda’s focused on achieving two other aims in Congo. Firstly, to proceed with illegitimate exploitation of Congolese natural deposits, which remained an important income generating platform for Rwanda.

 

 

Challenges Of Responsibility to Protect In Rohingya

Incessant oppressions of the Rohingya people have been re-occurring for decades due to non-committal behavior global community through several brutal so-called “clearance operations” incurred by the Myanmar authorities. The Rohingya people have been victimized by sexual violations, extrajudicial killings, torture, property destabilization, looting, racial and religious discrimination, and forced evictions for so many years. There had also been an imposition of a “shoot on sight” policy to eliminate the people of Rohingya. Rohingya’s movements are subjected to restrictions, marriage and childbirth are equally constrained, lack of educational and healthcare facilities, and have extremely limited livelihood opportunities. Moreover, according to the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar announced that there was adequate evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in the province of Rakhine. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) also buttressed the point that the Rohingya people constantly been at risk of ongoing genocide, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered the Myanmar government to take provisional measures to prevent genocide against the Rohingya people. This had led to the menace of extinctions as encountered by the People of Rohingya, while the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had gotten to a dead end on the matter because of an absence of accord amongst the five permanent members. The amplification of the “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) protocols had never been fervently engaged for the conditions in Myanmar despite the reoccurrence of violent events. Such as the Saffron Revolution atrocities in 2007 also related with massacres of Rohingya people in the year 2012, 2016, and 2017.

 

Recommendations

In other to achieve an effective intervention of the United States Responsibility to Protect assistance. It must ensure to follow the key factors of a Rapid response Capacity, Effective Collaboration with active Regional Actors, Free will of Country’s administration’s decision to welcome the mediation of the Responsibility to Protect and attempt to restrain obstruction of overruled “veto” power of permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. In other to achieve all these recommendations, it is pertinent to note that all the recommendations are intertwine and inter-related, therefore they are all relevant and the absence of one can led to an inefficiency of others.

There is a need for a rapid response capacity of the Responsibility to Protect to be able to intervene quickly into an emergency rather than the long wait of six months routine often employed by the United Nations. Therefore, there should be an instant set up of a fully armed United Nations mission to safeguard a state of emergency in a Country. Lessons learnt from the Congo experience reveals that the United Nations peace keeping groups often delay in responding to attacks.

Effective Collaboration with active Regional Actors is essential for an active Regional Actors to be effectively involved in collaborating with the United Nations Responsibility to Protect in other to shift the burden of Countries emergency request from R2P. An instance of ECOWAS intervention in Côte d’Ivoire, African Union and Economic Community of West African States mediation in Mali was an immense success of an effective collaboration with Regional Actors to support the implementation of the Responsibility to Protect.

There must be a free will of Country’s administration decision to openly welcome the mediation of the Responsibility to Protect in other to ensure an efficacious assistance from large scale atrocities. This can further promote an effective collaboration with the United Nations Responsibility to protect.

The Overruled “veto” capacity of “P5” permanent members of the Security Council seems to be the grievous constraint for the effective mediation of the Responsibility to Protect as these proceeds to only promote a large scale of world crimes and mortality rates as related to findings of incidences recorded in Congo, Rohingya, Syria, and Yemen. As a result of threats employed by these “veto” capacity. Therefore, in other to promote a more effective mediation of the Responsibility to Protect, it is imperative to employ the proposition of the “Act code of conduct”. They could also employ the Initiative of “France/Mexico” in other to restrict the “veto power” of the permanent member’s state.

 

Career Prospects

Within the forty-five job families of the United Nations there are 9 job networks available for interested applicants from various educational levels and different sectors and not limited to International Relations alone but include other professions like Economists, Journalists, Engineers, Lawyers, Political Analysts, Translators, Librarians, Website creators, and graduates with minimum or no job experience are encouraged to apply to work for the United Nations so far the candidates is passionate about making a difference to input his quota in serving the course of humankind.

 

Who is the ideal candidate for UN employment?

The United Nations are interested in applicants that portrays the UN’s core values of Integrity, Professionalism, and regards for distinctiveness. Candidates who are willing to learn new languages and expertise are welcome to working across the globe and required to travel within a short notification will make an ideal candidate to be employed by the United Nations Organization. The United Nations is also a geographically diverse working environment.  from all over the world are encouraged to apply and once employed, they must reflect regards for divergent points of view and demonstrate this understanding in their daily work and decision-making and inter-relations among staff members.

As a rule, and in light of the Global scope of the nature of the United Nations work, language proficiency is required for all positions, specifically English and or French are considered to be the dual working languages of the United Nations secretariat, also considering other language(s) that might be important to the demands of the role and work station, The six official languages of the United Nations are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russia, and Spanish.

 

Application Tips

The UN classifies their job postings based on the international nature of a position, the types and/or length of contracts, and the years of work experience required. For young applicants with little professional experience, consultancy positions, internships, and special entry programs such as the Young Professionals Program (YPP) and the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Program are the most common ways to start. For those interested in working in the field, United Nations Volunteers (UNV) mobilizes over 8,000 UN volunteers annually to contribute to peace and development projects, either in their own countries or aboard.

Questions

1. How can the R2P collaborate with the Economic Community of West African State to foster a better protection of victims of massed murders especially victims of forced displacements.

2. How can Responsibility to Protect employ the skills of expatriate, Local NGO’s and CSO’s in providing adequate Humanitarian support for displaced victims of extra-judicial killings.

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sevrine Autesserre (2016) The Responsibility to Protect in Congo: The failure of grassroot prevention, International Peace keeping, 23:1,29-51, DOI:10.1080/13533312.2015.1080595 Available: http://doi.org/10.1080/13533312.2015.10805955 Assessed: [26 November 2022]

Iqthyer Uddin Md Zahed (2021) RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT? THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY’S FAILURE TO PROTECT THE ROHINGYA, Asian Affairs, 52:4, 934-957, DOI: 10.1080/03068374.2021.1999689 Available: http://doi.org/10.1080/030683742021-1999689 Assessed: [26 November 2022]

Jared Genser (2018) The United Nations Security Councils a Review of Past Interventions and Recommendations for Improvement: Global Centre for the responsibility to Protect, Policy brief Available: https://www.perseus-strategies.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Jared-Genser-UNSC-R2P-UChicago-J.Intl-Law-Winter-2018.pdf Assessed: [29 November 2022]