319 Beatriz Vázquez Rodríguez Spain and the Responsibility to Protect:... In the subsequent statement by King Felipe VI at the opening of the 69th session, while not making explicit reference to the concept, reference was made to prevention as the key element of the concept and to the adoption of other measures if this does not work: «Our primary objective must be to prevent wars, and when we fail in this, we must protect and assist the innocent victims. We must never relent in our efforts to resolve conflicts through diplomacy and through all of the instruments bestowed by the Charter of the United Nations»9. During the most recent interactive dialogue on the responsibility to protect, held in September 2015 and entitled «A vital and enduring commitment: Implementing the responsibility to protect», the Spanish delegation not only reiterated their com-mitment, but also joined the position of the Secretary General of the United Na-tions in his last report on the subject10 by stating that the conceptual debate on the responsibility to protect is over and that it is now necessary to focus on the practical application of the concept, as well as underlining the importance of the progressive institutionalisation of the responsibility to protect into the United Nations system. Accordingly, the Spanish delegate stated that «Spain is, once again, committed to sup-porting the continuity of efforts in favour of the Responsibility to Protect with a view to what should be our end goal: the effective protection of peoples against atrocity crimes»11. Espa%C3%B1a%2069%20AGNU%20ESP.pdf>, Consulted: 4 December 2015. 9 General debate of the 69th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, statement by His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, New York, 24 September 2014, <http://www.un.org/es/ga/69/meet-ings/ gadebate/pdf/ES_es.pdf>, Consulted: 4 December 2015. 10 A/69/981–S/2015/500, Report of the Secretary-General, «A vital and enduring commitment: im-plementing the responsibility to protect» 13 July 2015. 11 Spanish statement at the informal interactive dialogue on the responsibility to protect at the Gen-eral Assembly of the United Nations, New York, 8 September 2015, <http://www.responsibilitytoprotect. org/spain.pdf>, Consulted: 4 December 2015. Spain spoke using almost identical language a few days later at the opening of the 70th session of the General Assembly, recalling that: «We will take part in the efforts aimed at bolstering the effective application of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) initia-tive in all three of its pillars, taking into consideration the 10th anniversary of its establishment in the Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit. We will support other countries so that they can fulfil their duty to protect their citizens from atrocity crimes. We will focus on the potential triggers of atrocity crimes (discrimination and persecution for ethnic or religious reasons, violent extremism…) and on how States may prevent and mitigate such risks through inclusive human rights and development policies. We will pay particular attention to non-State actors, vulnerable communities and the challenges that girls and women face in situations conducive to the commission of atrocity crimes. We will bear in mind the recommendations set forth in the annual report by the UN Secre-tary- General (UNSG) on R2P.» Spain’s priorities for the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly, 28 September 2015, http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee
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