
R2P: Promotion and protection of human rights do not stop at national borders
The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, was the speaker at the opening of the 6th international biennale academic conference "Responsibility to Protect in Theory and Practice", organised by the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana. The President of the Republic is the honorary patron of this international scientific conference.
Ljubljana, 11 May 2023
News
In her opening address, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, said that Slovenia has always been a strong supporter of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and was part of a group of countries that co-created this important principle almost twenty years ago.
“At the very core of the Responsibility to Protect is the recognition that the promotion and protection of human rights do not stop at national borders. While States have a primary responsibility to protect the population on their territory, the international community holds a shared responsibility to protect vulnerable groups from the worst violations of their universal human rights,” said the President of the Republic and stressed that political leaders have a moral obligation and responsibility to do everything within their abilities and political influence to prevent conflicts and violence and to protect populations from mass atrocity crimes. “I strongly believe that preventive action is the best and by far most cost-effective response,” she said and thus emphasised the importance of investing in national human rights systems and effective early-warning mechanisms.
In the opening address, President Pirc Musar also pointed out climate change as one of the (new) factors of instability and war, and assessed that the concept of climate justice is therefore gaining ground in the international community. President of the Republic also addressed the Slovenian candidacy for a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and announced that, if elected, climate security will remain one of Slovenia's priorities: “In doing so, and always rooted in human rights law, we in particular wish to strengthen the nexus between peace-making and peace-building, climate action and women.”