Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's strategy on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

​The principles of the 2010 Protection of Civilians Strategy continue to guide our work and we consistently review our cross-Government approach. We aim to address the growing challenges of protecting civilians affected by conflict through political engagement, strengthening accountability, peace support operations, ensuring respect for international humanitarian law in UK military operations, strengthening state and non-state capacity, humanitarian action, and offering refuge to those in need of protection. The continuing evolution of our approach is demonstrated by the UK's endorsement, in April 2018, of the Safe Schools Declaration which supports the protection and continuation of education in armed conflict.

International humanitarian law (IHL) provides a robust legal framework for the protection of all civilians, including children. The UK works closely with states and NGOs to promote compliance with this legal framework. We regularly call on states and non-state actors engaged in armed conflict to respect IHL and act in accordance with their obligations under it.