The Responsibility to Protect doctrine can be resurrected by Martin Griffiths Former UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs   July 2026   The legal norm has been manipulated and forgotten. But today it is needed more than ever.   The United Nations General Assembly met yesterday at its headquarters in New York to discuss the responsibility to protect (R2P) doctrine and the continuing perpetration of atrocities across the world.   These gatherings have been taking place annually since 2018, but they have done little to advance the proper enforcement of R2P. Yesterday’s meeting was no different.   The UN may have failed to effectively apply R2P, but that does not mean it is a bad principle. It also does not mean we should give up on it.   The idea of establishing a norm in international law to prevent crimes against humanity and genocide first emerged in the aftermath of the failure to stop the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia.   In 2001, the International Committee on Intervention and State Sovereignty developed the framework for R2P. It was crafted first as an obligation of states to protect their own people, and then, when that fails, as an obligation of other states to take action.   In 2005, at the UN World Summit, the world’s heads of state met to discuss the new framework. The final document adopted at the summit – which, in effect, embedded R2P into international law – read:   “The international community, through the United Nations, also has the responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means, in accordance with Chapters VI and VIII of the Charter, to help to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.”   Similar efforts resulted, in July 2002, in the establishment of the International Criminal Court tasked with prosecuting individuals accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.   All this represented a high point of the desire to ensure a rules-based order to protect people in need and to punish all those who flout that obligation.   It was an ambitious and imaginative effort to make the world a safer place. But it did not work. There are various reasons for that failure.   Perhaps the main one was the absence of the slightest interest from several powerful member states in implementing R2P. Lack of action from governments has resulted in brutal indifference to suffering, famine, crimes against humanity and genocide. Ironically, several of them remain members of the so-called Group of Friends of R2P.   There was also the politicisation of R2P in pursuit of geopolitical agendas. In 2011, when protests erupted in Libya, the government of Muammar Gaddafi responded violently. Western governments led by the US invoked R2P when seeking permission from the UN Security Council to intervene.   What was supposed to be a humanitarian intervention to protect the civilian population turned into a regime-change operation. The manipulation of R2P was its death sentence. Russia, a permanent UNSC member, but also other powers, saw it as a conduit for Western interventionism rather than a humanitarian doctrine.   What followed was global inaction on horrific atrocities in Syria, Palestine, Sudan, DRC, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and elsewhere.   As a UN official involved in humanitarian efforts and conflict mediation, I have had a front seat to the suffering and devastation that the failure to protect has led to. I have spent the last six years in the worst places of the world – places of unimaginable suffering.   I have raged against those leaders who feel comfortable with their “expressions of concern” in the absence of any decisive action. I have mourned the dead and the suffering. And I have seen no justice for those who made these tragedies a new norm.   And yet, in every place, I was reminded of the power of human kindness and compassion. Everywhere I went, I met people who had given their all to help the displaced fleeing from war, who had opened their schools and clinics to host the homeless and injured and spent their own money to feed and clothe them.   This world of kindness and respect remains invisible to global politics. The lack of attention, however, has not diminished it. Indeed, it has grown even as leaders continue to betray the most basic humanitarian principles and hypocritically hide behind weak statements of condemnation.   The human values and ideals behind R2P still exist, and it is up to us to take it back to the high and inspiring grounds it once occupied. There are steps the UN can take that go far beyond the annual meetings in order to put this legal norm into action.   First, the international committee which put together the R2P framework needs to be reconvened and tasked with revising it in order to ensure proper implementation, outlining conditions and scope of action.   Second, their report must be recognised and endorsed by the UN, with the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Human Rights Council putting their weight behind it.   Third, a mechanism needs to be set up for reporting back to the UN on situations where R2P may need to be applied. This would require an official mandate for a UN body to take up this responsibility.   All of this would require political will, which could only be generated when a threshold of popular revulsion at the continuing mass atrocities is reached.   In Sudan, right now, another genocidal moment is looming. El Obeid is under siege, and all indications are that the atrocities that happened in el-Fasher last year will repeat there.   We must act with urgency and determination. Stopping genocide is not a political act; it is a humanistic one.   3 July 2026   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk calls for strong action at the highest level to prevent atrocity crimes in Sudan:   The signs from El Obeid are clear and unmistakable: another human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan, this time in the capital of the strategic state of North Kordofan.   Civilians have been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 months, battered by relentless drone strikes as the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces battle for control over areas surrounding the city.   My Office documented 15 drone strikes on El Obeid and surrounding areas between 6 and 28 June, which killed at least 45 civilians and injured 41. The actual number of civilian casualties is likely higher.   Across the Kordofan region, drones launched by both sides have repeatedly struck markets, schools, fuel stations, water infrastructure, and civilian vehicles. In recent weeks, we documented damage to at least 13 fuel stations in El Obeid and Al Rahad from RSF drones.   These attacks, and fuel shortages, have a compound impact, making it difficult for civilians to access clean water, food, transport and healthcare, and to communicate with each other and the outside world.   Shortages of clean water are reaching a critical point in El Obeid. As the rainy season starts, this puts people at risk of waterborne diseases, including cholera. An influx of tens of thousands of people fleeing violence in other parts of Kordofan is straining resources even further.   People are selling their belongings to finance their escape from the city. For many, the exorbitant cost of transport, and constant attacks on vehicles along exit routes, make leaving impossible.   We have documented patterns of summary executions, abductions, torture and ill-treatment, sexual violence, and looting along the routes taken by displaced people across the Kordofan region.   Those who stay in El Obeid are also at risk of arbitrary arrest and detention. People who have fled areas controlled by the RSF and allied forces are frequently accused of collaboration. All this takes place against a backdrop of rising hate speech.   The international community cannot allow a repeat of the widespread atrocities that took place in Zamzam camp for displaced people, and in El Fasher in North Darfur last year.   My Office assessed that at least 6,000 people were killed in the span of just three days when the RSF captured El Fasher. We found the RSF and allied militia committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including mass killings, summary executions, sexual violence, and torture.   These crimes were foreseen, with repeated warnings by myself and my Office. But they were not prevented.   This is not a drill. It is a red alert that needs to land on the desks of Heads of State and government around the world. Their phones should be running hot in the coming days and weeks, with ideas on how to prevent atrocity crimes in El Obeid and in other places in Kordofan, where the same strategies are being deployed.   Reports by my Office and others, call for strong action at the highest level. The UN Security Council needs to fulfil its responsibilities to prevent atrocity crimes. El Obeid is a classic case that shows why the use of the veto should be limited.   All leaders must use their influence to exert pressure on all parties, and particularly the RSF, to stop an offensive on El Obeid; to end strikes on civilians and essential infrastructure; to stop the flow of weapons; and to comply with their obligations under international law.   There also needs to be accountability for the crimes that have been committed. I welcome the continued engagement of the International Criminal Court on Sudan as a path to that end, in addition to efforts based on universal jurisdiction.   The safe and voluntary movement of civilians out of El Obeid must be guaranteed. We urgently need a humanitarian pause to allow for the unhindered delivery of food and humanitarian aid into the city and its surroundings.   We also need to pay far closer attention to the political economy of this war. The leaders of the warring parties bear the greatest responsibility for three years of appalling suffering. But behind them, domestic and foreign players are benefiting from the carnage.   We need to end the steady supply of weapons from outside the country to all sides, which continues with complete disregard for their use in contravention of international law. Without action to end this, the conflict risks continuing indefinitely. I repeat my call for the arms embargo on Darfur to be extended to the whole country.   I call for concerted efforts by the international community to assume its responsibilities to protect the people of Sudan, and support their efforts to build a peaceful, inclusive and democratic future.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/07/high-commissioner-turk-calls-strong-action-highest-level-prevent?sub-site=HRC http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/07/sudan-mass-killings-abductions-and-gang-rape-carried-out-el-fasher http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/22/robust-global-action-is-key-to-curbing-sudan-atrocities http://raoulwallenbergcentre.org/en/news/2026-06-26 http://www.globaldispatches.org/p/sudan-is-on-the-brink-of-another http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/07/sudan-rsf-atrocities-in-el-fasher-a-stain-on-the-conscience-of-humanity-new-report/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-330-children-killed-or-injured-sudan-during-first-six-months-2026-conflict http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/06/the-guardian-view-on-atrocities-in-sudan-when-never-again-becomes-again-and-again http://humanrightscommission.house.gov/news/press-releases/co-chairs-call-us-corporations-reassess-uae-partnerships-amid-sudan-atrocity   18 June 2026   UN Secretary-General, Rights chief warn of impending atrocities as RSF militia closes in on El Obeid, Sudan. (UN News, agencies)   The United Nations Secretary-General has expressed deep alarm at the escalation of fighting in and around El Obeid, North Kordofan state, including drone attacks impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure.   He is particularly alarmed by reports of the deployment, by the Rapid Support Forces, of substantial military reinforcements around El Obeid which may indicate an imminent ground offensive on the city, potentially placing yet another major population centre in Sudan at grave risk of large-scale violence. (El Obeid has a reported population of over 500,000 people)   The Secretary-General calls for restraint from all parties and urges them to take all necessary measures to respect and protect civilians. The Secretary-General urges all those with influence over the parties to exert it to prevent further bloodshed.   We must not allow the horrors of El Fasher to be repeated in El Obeid. The Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities.   The Secretary-General stresses that humanitarian workers and supplies must be able to move safely. Humanitarian operations must be protected and facilitated. El Obeid is a crucial hub for humanitarian response efforts across the broader Kordofan region.   Civilians who wish to leave must be allowed to do so safely. Those choosing to remain must be respected, protected and have access to the humanitarian relief they need.   The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their clear obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including to respect and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access.   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk issued a stark warning that an imminent RSF offensive risked the fresh commission of serious international crimes and deepening the catastrophic impact on an already beleaguered civilian population.   El Obeid is the capital of North Kordofan state in Sudan, and its inhabitants have been strangled by siege-like conditions for more than 18 months.   “We have seen this playbook before. We know where it led then, and cannot now allow a repeat of the preventable atrocities we documented in El Fasher and Zamzam IDP camp in North Darfur last year. Civilians are at grave risk in Kordofan, particularly in El Obeid, in the absence of action to halt the imminent offensive and further military escalation,” the High Commissioner said.   “Let this be a stark warning to the world of an impending human rights disaster and worsening humanitarian situation. The States with influence have the duty to exercise it now to stop this madness in its tracks.”   Given the patterns of serious violations of international law documented by the UN Human Rights Office during RSF offensives on El Fasher and Zamzam IDP camp last year, the risk of summary executions, abduction, arbitrary detention and other violence against civilians is high, and must be prevented, the High Commissioner added.   The ever-increasing use of drones to conduct airstrikes is having a further devastating impact on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Kordofan. Over the past two weeks, there have been dozens of drone strikes on El Obeid, leading to loss of civilian lives. This has had a serious impact on civilian access to basic services.   The High Commissioner also urged parties to the conflict to ensure the safe movement of civilians who have been repeatedly forced to flee violence, and in search of basic services.   The RSF’s takeover of El Fasher in October 2025 was marked by widespread atrocities, including targeted ethnic violence, extrajudicial killings and executions. The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan later concluded that the RSF committed crimes against humanity, war crimes and acts that may amount to genocide against non-Arab communities during its siege and subsequent takeover. Unconfirmed reports from December 2025 estimate that at least 60,000 people may have been killed since the RSF’s takeover.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167752 http://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statements/2026-06-18/statement-attributable-the-spokesperson-for-the-secretary-general-sudan http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/06/sudan-imminent-offensive-el-obeid-must-be-halted-turk-warns-catastrophic http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/atrocity-alert-no-487/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-deputy-executive-director-hannan-suliemans-remarks-united-nations-security http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-warns-assault-sudans-el-obeid-area-threatens-deepen-countrys-hunger-crisis-0 http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/26/sudan-urgently-address-the-situation-in-and-around-el-obeid-take-bold-steps-towards http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/22/robust-global-action-is-key-to-curbing-sudan-atrocities
	A Practical Guide to Fighting Corruption with a Human Rights-Based Approach by FIDH, Transparency International   June 2026   Against a backdrop of rising corruption worldwide, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Transparency International and Transparency International France have joined forces to produce a guide for civil society organisations involved in the human rights and anti-corruption movements.   Corruption is not a victimless crime. When it allows funds intended for public services to be misappropriated, it deprives people of their rights—including the right to healthcare, justice, education and a healthy environment. Moreover, when it leads to the capture of public institutions, it undermines the rule of law, restricts access to justice and enables impunity.   The guide "Breaking the Silos: A Practical Guide to Fighting Corruption with a Human Rights-Based Approach" offers practical tools to better document the impacts of corruption, pursue redress and strengthen the accountability of those responsible, whether they be individuals, companies or states.   It emphasises the importance of placing victims at the centre of efforts and of promoting access to justice and redress. The guide is available in English, French and Spanish.   This guide is based on a simple conviction: the movements fighting corruption and defending human rights must join forces to strengthen our actions and develop joint strategies to confront a phenomenon that inflicts profound harm on societies around the world.   "It is with this in mind that our organisations have joined forces to produce this guide. It aims to provide human rights defenders and anti-corruption activists with practical tools to promote accountability for grand corruption and the devastating human rights harm it causes. It sets out strategies for holding corrupt individuals to account and raising awareness of the violations that result from their actions", declared Gillian Dell, global advocacy lead, Transparency International.   According to Jimena Reyes, director for the Americas, FIDH, "The world is facing a polycrisis: pollution, climate change and the overexploitation of natural resources. At the same time, the very foundations of democracy —an independent judiciary, free and fair elections, and respect for the rule of law— are being profoundly undermined in many countries. Autocrats are clinging to power. The plague of corruption —involving kleptocratic elites, businesses or organised criminal groups— is one of the main causes of these phenomena. In the face of the devastation caused by grand corruption, doing nothing is not an option."   Sara Brimbeuf, head of advocacy on illicit financial flows, Transparency International France, explains that "Transparency International France’s experience in cases involving ill-gotten gains shows that asset recovery is a vital part of the fight against grand corruption. Identifying, seizing and returning misappropriated assets is not enough: it is also essential to ensure that their return is transparent, accountable and geared towards the needs of the affected communities. Only then can the fight against corruption help to redress the human rights violations it causes."   The guide covers the steps involved in linking incidents of corruption to human rights abuses and developing strategies for accountability and redress, including:   Understanding the links between corruption, human rights, victims and causality; documenting human rights violations and patterns of grand corruption; protecting individuals, data, sources and whistleblowers; holding individuals, companies and states to account; using advocacy mechanisms and quasi-judicial channels; using asset recovery as a tool for justice and redress.   Recognising that corruption fuels human rights abuses is vital to protecting human dignity. By placing victims at the centre of efforts, the anti-corruption and human rights communities can make progress in combating grand corruption and its impact on people and their rights.   http://www.fidh.org/en/issues/corruption/fidh-and-transparency-international-join-forces-to-tackle-corruption Visit the related web page
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