Minority protection, bilateral mechanisms and the responsibility to protect

At the United Nations World Summit, 14–16 September 2005, 150 world leaders recognized a responsibility to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. The primary responsibility rests with the individual state to protect its vulnerable population and to prevent such crimes or incitement to such crimes “through appropriate and necessary means”. When states fail in this responsibility, other states, through the United Nations, are committed to “use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian, and other peaceful means” to protect threatened populations.

Related Subject(s): Migration