MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Smith
At a meeting on the emerging international law doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)
held during the United Nations General Assembly in New York today, I outlined details of a $2
million Responsibility to Protect Fund.
The fund, which will be managed by AusAID, will be open to competitive applications from
institutions, academia and non-government organisations to advance the Responsibility to
Protect concept and support states to build capacity to protect civilians.
Under the R2P principle, states are responsible for the protection of their own civilians from
grave mass crimes, including genocide and crimes against humanity.
The principle also requires the international community to use diplomatic, humanitarian and
other peaceful means to help protect populations; and to take collective action, authorised by the
UN Security Council, if other means fail.
Australia is committed to making the R2P principle central to international efforts on conflict
prevention and resolution. I have been encouraged by progress shown in work underway within
the United Nations on ways of putting the R2P principle into practice.
Australia's support will assist in developing an important body of project and research work that
will materially contribute to making R2P a reliable factor in international crisis handling.
The R2P principle was strongly endorsed by world leaders at the UN World Summit in 2005. The
Security Council also endorsed the principle in Resolution 1674 (2006) on the Protection of
Civilians in Armed Conflict.
The Australian Government is also providing support to the Global Centre for R2P in New
York.