State Responsibility

State responsibility is a principle of international law holding that states are accountable for protecting their citizens’ security and welfare, including organizing humanitarian aid during internal crises. It also obligates national authorities to answer to both their people and the international community, particularly through the United Nations, for their actions or failures to act. This concept was codified in the International Law Commission’s 2001 draft articles, which state that any internationally wrongful act by a state incurs its responsibility.