The eighth Informal Interactive Dialogue on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) was held in the UN General Assembly on 6 September 2017. A record number of states spoke at the Interactive Dialogue addressing the UN Secretary-General’s ninth annual report on R2P, entitled Implementing the responsibility to protect: Accountability for prevention (A/71/1016–S/2017/556). During the dialogue seventy-three member states, two UN observer missions and the European Union delivered statements on behalf of ninety-eight states. The Netherlands delivered a statement on behalf of the fifty members of the Group of Friends of R2P. Five civil society organizations, including the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, also delivered statements.

While the discussion demonstrated broad conceptual agreement on the principle of R2P, member states used the dialogue to reflect upon obstacles to consistent collective action to prevent genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. Member states also used the dialogue to voice their concerns about the growing number of mass atrocity victims worldwide, and about the weakening of the international norms that safeguard humanity.

The full summary is available for download below.