Security Council Resolution 2171 (2014) [on Prevention of Armed Conflicts]

S/RES/2171 (2014)View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Security Council, under agenda item 10 Maintenance of international peace and security, published in 2014.

What subjects does this mandate have?

10 subjects

Cooperation Between Organizations Dispute Settlement Early Warning Systems Good Offices Mediation Peacebuilding Peacekeeping Operations Regional Organizations Special Missions War Prevention

What’s in this document?

26 operative paragraphs

Expresses its determination to pursue the objective of prevention of armed conflict as an integral part of its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security;

Calls upon all States to intensify efforts to secure a world free of the scourge of war and conflict;

Stresses that the prevention of conflicts remains a primary responsibility of States and actions undertaken within the framework of conflict prevention by the United Nations should support and complement, as appropriate, the conflict prevention roles of national governments;

Reaffirms the duty of all States to settle their international disputes by peaceful means, inter alia through negotiation, enquiry, good offices, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and judicial settlement, or other peaceful means of their own choice;

Recalls Chapter VI, in particular Articles 33 and 34 of the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirms its commitment to the settlement of disputes by peaceful means and the promotion of necessary preventive action in response to disputes or situations, the continuance of which is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security;

Recognizes that some of the tools in Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations, which can be used for conflict prevention, have not been fully utilized, including negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement and resort to regional and subregional organizations and arrangements, as well as the good offices of the Secretary-General, and stresses its determination to make and call for the greater and more effective use of such tools;

Acknowledges the important role the following can play in contributing to the prevention of the outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of conflict;

– United Nations regional offices;

– Special Political Missions;

– peacekeeping operations;

– the Peacebuilding Commission;

as well as regional and subregional organizations and arrangements;

Acknowledges also that sanctions imposed under relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations are an important tool in the maintenance and restoration of international peace and security and can contribute to create conditions conducive to the peaceful resolution of situations that threaten or breach international peace and security, and support conflict prevention;

Encourages the Secretary-General to continue enhancing the use of his good offices, dispatching Representatives, Special Envoys and mediators, to help to facilitate durable, inclusive and comprehensive settlements and further encourages the Secretary-General to continue his early engagement in the prevention of potential conflicts;

Encourages field-based Special Political Missions and Peacekeeping Operations to enhance their assessment and analysis capabilities to prevent relapse into conflict within their existing mandates;

Recognizes that mediation is an important means for the pacific settlement of disputes, including wherever possible preventively and before disputes evolve into violence and appreciates the efforts of the Secretary-General to continue to strengthen United Nations mediation support capacities, including the Mediation Support Unit as a provider of mediation support to the United Nations system, in accordance with agreed mandates;

Expresses its willingness to give prompt consideration to early warning cases brought to its attention by the Secretary-General, including to the dispatch, in appropriate circumstances, of preventive political missions and encourages the Secretary-General to bring to its attention any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security, in accordance with Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations;

Acknowledges that serious abuses and violations of international human rights or humanitarian law, including sexual and gender-based violence, can be an early indication of a descent into conflict or escalation of conflict, as well as a consequence thereof; and calls on States which have not already done so to consider ratifying the instruments of international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law, and to take appropriate steps to implement these instruments domestically, which could contribute to timely prevention of conflicts;

Encourages the Secretary-General to continue to refer to the Council information and analyses which he believes could contribute to the prevention of armed conflict, including on cases of serious violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law, and on potential conflict situations arising, inter alia, from ethnic, religious and territorial disputes, poverty and lack of development;

Expresses its commitment to take early and effective action to prevent armed conflict and to that end to employ all appropriate means at its disposal, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations;

Recalls the important role of the Secretary-General’s Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect, whose functions include acting as an early warning mechanism to prevent potential situations that could result in genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing, as well as the important role the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict can play in contributing to conflict prevention; calls upon States to recommit to prevent and fight against genocide, and other serious crimes under international law, and reaffirms paragraphs 138 and 139 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document (A/60/L.1) on the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity;

Recognizes the important role the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide can play in conflict prevention and also recognizes the role their briefings on human rights violations and hate speech play in contributing to early awareness of potential conflict;

Emphasizes the important role that women and civil society, including women’s organizations and formal and informal community leaders, can play in exerting influence over parties to armed conflict; reiterates the continuing need to increase success in preventing conflict by increasing the participation of women at all stages of mediation and post-conflict resolution and by increasing the consideration of gender-related issues in all discussions pertinent to conflict prevention;

Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General and his Special Envoys and Special Representatives to United Nations missions, as part of their regular briefings, to update the Council on progress in inviting women to participate, including through consultations with civil society, including women’s organizations, in discussions pertinent to the prevention and resolution of conflict, the maintenance of peace and security and post-conflict peacebuilding;

Expresses its commitment to consider and use the tools of the United Nations system to ensure that early warning of potential conflicts translates into early, concrete preventive action, including towards the goal of protecting civilians, by or in coordination with the most appropriate United Nations or regional actor; in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations;

Encourages the peaceful settlement of local disputes through regional arrangements in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter, acknowledges the efforts undertaken to strengthen operational and institutional cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations aimed at conflict prevention and in this regard reiterates the need to continue strengthening strategic dialogue, partnerships, and more regular exchanges of views and information at the working level, with the aim of building national and regional capacities in relation to preventive diplomacy;

Calls for enhanced cooperation and capacity building with regional and subregional organizations and arrangements to help to prevent armed conflicts, their spread and impact, including through cooperation in early warning mechanisms as well as to help facilitate preventive action; consistent with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations;

Reiterates its support for the work of the Peacebuilding Commission and expresses its continued willingness to make use of the advisory, advocacy and resource mobilization roles of the Peacebuilding Commission in peacebuilding activities;

Reaffirms its willingness to strengthen its relationship with civil society, including, as appropriate, through, inter alia, meetings in an informal and flexible manner with civil society, to exchange analyses and perspectives on the issue of the prevention of armed conflict;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Council on actions taken by him to promote and strengthen conflict prevention tools within the United Nations system, including through co-operation with regional and subregional organizations, by August 31, 2015;

Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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