After the war victory:The destruction |
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
New
York, 14 November 2012
Statement of the
Secretary-General on Internal Review Panel Report on Sri Lanka
The conduct of the final months of the war in Sri Lanka in 2009
generated profound concerns about alleged violations of international human
rights and humanitarian law. In 2010, following an agreement with
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, I established a Panel of Experts to advise me on
measures to advance accountability.
The Panel of Experts report raised a number of significant issues,
including those regarding the United Nations response to the terrible situation
facing civilians in the north of Sri Lanka. The Panel recommended “a
comprehensive review of action by the United Nations system during the war in
Sri Lanka and the aftermath, regarding the implementation of its humanitarian
and protection mandates.”
I, therefore, established a new Panel to do just that. The Panel, headed
by Mr. Charles Petrie, has now completed its 8-month study. This morning Mr.
Petrie briefed me on the report’s findings and recommendations.
Read the full report here
Read the full report here
The report concludes that the United Nations system failed to meet its
responsibilities -- highlighting, in particular, the roles played by the
Secretariat, the agencies and programmes of the UN Country Team, and the
members of the Security Council and Human Rights Council.
This finding has profound implications for our work across the world, and
I am determined that the United Nations draws the appropriate lessons and does
its utmost to earn the confidence of the world’s people, especially those
caught in conflict who look to the Organization for help.
The Panel’s report recognizes initiatives we have taken in the wake of
the events in Sri Lanka to prevent a similar breakdown. However, I am
fully committed to ensuring that we do much more.
As an immediate first step, I will organize a senior-level team to give careful consideration to the recommendations and advise me on a way forward. Other action will follow in short order.
As transparency and accountability are critical to the legitimacy and
credibility of the United Nations, I also decided some days ago to make the
report public.
From the beginning of my tenure as Secretary-General, I have been
committed to strengthening the United Nations and its core mission of
protecting people from harm. Events today in Syria are the latest reminder of
just how crucial that work is.