President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer briefs the Security Council in an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, at the UN headquarters in New York, May 23, 2019. Peter Maurer on Thursday asked for unity of the Security Council on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, on Thursday asked for unity of the Security Council on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

"Not only are the decisions of all UN member states and especially the Security Council important, the absence of decisions by the council also takes its toll on civilians," said Maurer.

"In battlefields where the ICRC is today, too many actors take the absence of political convergence amongst you as a free ride for military operations without any limitations and without accountability," he told the Security Council in an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

Seventy years after the universal ratification of the Geneva Conventions and 20 years after the Security Council took the protection of civilians as an important item on its agenda, outrageous violations are happening on a daily basis, he said.

"While we do understand that political consensus is difficult, we ask you to be clearer in your support for the respect of international humanitarian law, and in stating and following through on the simple truth that no one is above the law and no civilian can be excluded from protection."

Maurer asked individual countries to prioritize the protection of civilians, to uphold international humanitarian law, and to set clearer frameworks for their troops and clearer ground rules.

He also asked them to apply the highest standards of precaution in weapons transfers and to set up clear oversight and accountability frameworks.

He highlighted the destruction of bombing and shelling in urban warfare, the environmental consequences of conflict, and protection deficits in the digital environment.

"As we mark the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions this year, we urge states to recall their spirit, which is to uphold human dignity in the midst of armed conflict," said Maurer.