Justin Luo
Kazakhstan
Germantown High School
Protection of Civilians and Displaced People in Modern Warfare
Until the grand idea of world peace is accomplished, war will always be a problem for
countries. Because of this, the majority of current countries have a standing military. However,
when war does break out, the protection of civilians and displaced people must be a top priority
for both sides in the war. As stated in Article 57 pf the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the 1949
Geneva Convention, it is a duty for international countries to make sure that “constant care shall
be taken to spare the civilian population, civilians, and civilian object” in international conflicts.
Since the concern was first brought up, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has made
significant progress towards prosecuting war criminals that violate these laws. Notable cases
include the arrest of former Chilean President Pinochet and former Chad’s President Hissein
Habre. both on charges of torture of civilians. However, as the complexity of modern conflict
increases and puts more civilians at risk, further actions must be put in place in order to protect
civilians.
The Central Asian country known today as Kazakhstan was inhabited by the Kazkh
people, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes since the 13th century, The area was
conquered by Russia in the 18th century and was later adopted into the Soviet Republic in 1936.
The country during this time saw a vast influx of immigrants, especially the non-Muslim
population. However in the 1990s, millions of non-Muslim began emigrating from Kazakhstan
and the population today has grown less diverse. In fact, almost 70% of the country today is
Muslim. Since then, Kazakhstan has risen as a leading power in the Central Asian region.
Kazakhstan has maintained stable peaceful relations with its neighbors and is also a member of
the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Euro-Atlantic
Partnership Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Since its independence,
Kazakhstan has pursued good relations with its powerful neighbors Russia and China. It joined
the United Nations in 1992 and in 2014 held a roundtable dedicated to pursuing cooperation with
the UN. Also in 2014, Kazakhstan began to take a more prominent role in the UN and sent
officers to support peacekeeping missions in Haiti, the Western Sahar, and Côte d’Ivoire.
The protection of civilians has been an important priority of the United Nations. With
more civilians becoming victims of armed conflict, a number of peacekeeping operations have
been enforced to protect civilians. The UNAMSIL – UN Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone in
1999 marked the first of these peacekeeping operations. Additionally, organizations including
the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Department of Field Support are dedicated to
protecting civilians. However, the UN has met numerous challenges and high expectations from
the public. In the end, it is not only the UN’s responsibility to protect civilians, but also troops
and police in the host country as well as the host government. Both the DPKO and DFS need to
be extended and receive more funding in order to ensure the protection of civilians. Additionally,
the Security Council of the UN needs to become more efficient in responding to crises around
the world where civilians are at harm.
Kazakhstan strongly supports the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations and will
offer to send support in terms of capital and man power. It has spoken to numerous Presidents
around the world, including President Obama and united Kingdom Prime Minister David
Cameron about international peacekeeping efforts and protecting civilians. Furthermore,
Kazakhstan prioritizes the safety of civilians in modern warfare, as seen in its peacekeeping
actions during the Iraq War. Since the number of civilian causalities has been on the rise in
recent years, increasing pressure has been put on the United Nations to effectively deal with the
problem. Since 1999, the Security Council has conducted numerous protection of civilian (POC)
meetings in order discuss these matters. Currently, the council is dealing with Afghanistan’s
increasing civilian causalities, which numbered over 10,000 in 2014. Additionally, concerns
have risen over the civilian population in Syria, Nigeria, and Chad where civil wars puts these
people at harm.