Written question asked by Chris Law (Scottish National Party) on Tuesday, 24 September 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 26 September 2019. It was answered by Heather Wheeler (Conservative) on Wednesday, 2 October 2019 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Armed Conflict: Civilians

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department’s review of the UK’s protection of civilians strategy will embed (a) civilian casualty recording and (b) civilian harm-tracking mechanisms to improve understanding of the impacts of conflict on civilians.

Answer: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is leading a review of the Government's approach to Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict – an initiative that coincides with the 20th anniversary of the first Protection of Civilians Resolution to be agreed by the UN Security Council in 1999 (UNSCR 1265). The review involves contributions from both the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence and is an opportunity for the Government to take into account recent developments in the field of Protection of Civilians policy, including work by states, international organisations, civil society and academia, and to consider a wide range of issues, including inter alia casualty recording and civilian harm-tracking mechanisms. The review will be completed by the end of 2019.

Secondary information