New Report: Asia-Pacific in the 2009 General Assembly Dialogue

In July 2009, the UN General Assembly held an Interactive Informal Dialogue and plenary session on the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP).  The dialogue provided the first opportunity for the UN membership as a whole to discuss implementation of the 2005 World Summit’s commitment to the RtoP and the UN Secretary-General’s report on the question.  Fifteen governments from the Asia-Pacific region, namely Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Japan, China, Vietnam, Solomon Islands, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, DPRK, PNG and Malaysia, participated in the dialogue. This culminated in a resolution co-sponsored by Australia, Singapore, PNG and New Zealand that noted the Secretary-General’s report, observed the fruitfulness of the interactive dialogue, and committed the Assembly to further consideration of the RtoP.

According to the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, one of the most significant aspects of the dialogue was the positive transformation of attitudes towards the RtoP within the Asia-Pacific region.  Having previously been considered the region most hostile to RtoP, the region now boasts near unanimity in its endorsement of the principle and the Secretary-General’s efforts towards its implementation.  The challenge now – as many of the region’s governments noted – is not to renegotiate RtoP but to identify ways of implementing the principle.  As a basis for thinking about pathways to implementation, this report analyses the comments made by the region’s governments at the recent General Assembly debate.  Through consideration of each government’s position, points of regional consensus and areas that require more study and dialogue can be identified. The new focus on implementation propels the principle toward a new era of international responsibility and cooperation in support of its key precepts. 

Report

Asia-Pacific in the 2009 General Assembly Dialogue October 2009