United Nations Security Council resolution 1502, adopted unanimously on 26 August 2003, after recalling resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000) and 1460 (2003), the council condemned violence against humanitarian workers and called upon all states to ensure that such incidents did not remain unpunished. The vote on the resolution, proposed by

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, was delayed due to opposition from the United States concerning the inclusion of language relating to the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

, which the latter did not recognise; references to the court were later removed.

Resolution

Observations

The Security Council reiterated its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and to ensure respect for

international humanitarian law International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict or the laws of war, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''wikt:jus in bello, jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit ...

. It welcomed

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

resolutions concerning the protection of United Nations and humanitarian personnel. At the same time, United Nations and humanitarian personnel were asked to respect the laws of the country in which they were operating. The preamble of the resolution also emphasised the existence of restrictions against attacks directed at United Nations

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...

personnel or humanitarian personnel, which constituted

war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...

s. There was concern at attacks worldwide against United Nations, associate and humanitarian personnel, including the

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

outside the headquarters of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq on 19 August 2003.

Acts

The resolution expressed strong condemnation of all violence to which those in humanitarian operations were exposed, including attacks on convoys and

looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

of their property. It urged all states to ensure that such crimes did not remain unpunished, reaffirming the obligations of parties involved in armed conflict to comply with

international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

. The parties were urged to guarantee unimpeded access by humanitarian personnel to people in need of assistance, ensure their safety and

freedom of movement Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country,Jérémiee Gilbert, ''Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights'' ...

, and provide facilitates for their use. The council was determined to ensure such measures were upheld, by: :(a) requesting the

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

to seek the inclusion of and ensure that countries include key provisions of the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel :(b) encouraging the Secretary-General to bring instances regarding the denial of

humanitarian assistance Humanitarian assistance is aid and action designed to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity during and after man-made crises and disasters. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including providing food, water, shelter, ...

to the Security Council's attention :(c) issuing declarations of exceptional risk under the convention Finally, the Secretary-General

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...

was instructed to address the issue of the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and United Nations and its associated personnel in his reports to the council, including recommendations on how to prevent future incidents and holding those accountable who perpetrated instances of violence.

References

External links

*
Text of the Resolution at undocs.org
{{UNSCR 2003 1502 Humanitarian aid August 2003

Resolution

Observations

Acts

See also

References

External links