The following statement as delivered by Costa Rica on behalf of members of the Group of Friends of the Responsibility to Protect during the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

Mr. President,

I deliver this statement on behalf of members of the Group of Friends of the Responsibility to Protect.

Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, if perpetrated in the context of armed conflict, may constitute war crimes. If part of a collective practice, they may also amount to crimes against humanity or acts of genocide. While strong focus is usually placed on ensuring that perpetrators are held to account, less attention has been put on the victims in the aftermath of unlawful killings and how to bridge the gap between the different existing legal frameworks.

We therefore commend the Special Rapporteur for his report, which highlights the importance of recording and identifying the dead individually, including for the purposes of accountability, which is at the heart of the Responsibility to Protect. The duty to investigate every enforced disappearance and every potentially unlawful death is an obligation under international human rights law. International humanitarian law (IHL) further sets out clear rules to protect the dignity of the dead.

We therefore call on all UN Member States and other responsible parties to ensure adequate steps to recover, identify, record, and lay to rest the deceased with respect and dignity, in a manner consistent with international obligations, particularly those under IHL. Failure to do so can severely undermine truth, justice and reparation for victims and impede societal healing and reconciliation.

How can the international community best support efforts by independent civil society initiatives to uphold protection of the dead, including by accurately recording casualties?

Thank you.

ANNEX: Sponsors – Members of the Group of Friends of the Responsibility to Protect – Geneva

Chair

1. Luxembourg
2. Costa Rica

African States

3. Botswana
4. Côte d’Ivoire
5. Ghana
6. Liberia
7. Mali
8. Morocco
9. Mozambique
10. Nigeria
11. Rwanda
12. Senegal
13. Sierra Leone
14. South Sudan
15. Tanzania

Asia-Pacific States

16. Bangladesh
17. Japan
18. Marshall Islands
19. Qatar
20. Republic of Korea

Eastern European States

21. Bosnia and Herzegovina
22. Bulgaria
23. Croatia
24. Czech Republic
25. Hungary
26. Romania
27. Slovakia
28. Slovenia

Latin American and Caribbean States

29. Argentina
30. Chile
31. Guatemala
32. Mexico
33. Panama
34. Peru
35. Uruguay

Western European and other States

36. Australia
37. Belgium
38. Canada
39. Denmark
40. Finland
41. France
42. Germany
43. Ireland
44. Italy
45. Liechtenstein
46. Netherlands
47. New Zealand
48. Norway
49. Portugal
50. Spain
51. Sweden
52. Switzerland
53. United Kingdom

Others

54. European Union