Obligations of States Contributing to UN Peacekeeping Missions under Article 1 Common to the Geneva Conventions

in Heike Krieger (ed.), 'Enforcing International Humanitarian Law in Contemporary African Conflicts', Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2015 Forthcoming

23 Pages Posted: 16 Oct 2014

See all articles by Matthew Happold

Matthew Happold

Université du Luxembourg; Universite du Luxembourg - Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance

Date Written: April 23, 2013

Abstract

Common Article 1 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions imposes, it has been claimed, a legal obligation on third States to intervene when parties to armed conflicts commit, or fail to prevent, atrocities. This paper considers the extent to which Common Article 1 applies to the activities of United Nations peacekeepers. It is argued that Common Article 1 does impose duties upon troop-contributing States but that they are qualified by the control that the UN exercises over national contingents during peacekeeping operations. In particular, whatever the general scope of the provision, it does not impose any positive obligation on troop-contributing States to ensure respect for international humanitarian law by parties to conflicts which peacekeeping missions seek to police. Such a duty (if it exists) lies solely with the UN.

Keywords: UN peacekeeping, responsibiltiy to protect, Geneva Conventions, CA1, State responsibility, responsibility of international organisations

JEL Classification: K33

Suggested Citation

Happold, Matthew, Obligations of States Contributing to UN Peacekeeping Missions under Article 1 Common to the Geneva Conventions (April 23, 2013). in Heike Krieger (ed.), 'Enforcing International Humanitarian Law in Contemporary African Conflicts', Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2015 Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2255546

Matthew Happold (Contact Author)

Université du Luxembourg ( email )

Faculté de Droit, d'Économie et de Finance
148, avenue de la Faïencerie
L-1511 Luxembourg
Luxembourg

Universite du Luxembourg - Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance ( email )

162a, avenue de la Faïencerie
Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, L-1511
Luxembourg

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