Regional meeting of national commissions for the application of IHL and similar organizations in the Americas 2023

2023-12-08 00:15:00

The REGIONAL MEETING OF NATIONAL COMMISSIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF IHL AND SIMILAR BODIES OF AMERICA 2023 has been organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, the Ministry of Defense and the National Commission for the Application of IHL of the Argentine Republic and the Delegation ICRC Regional Office for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay with the direct collaboration of the Regional Legal Advisor for the Americas and the legal advisors of the ICRC Delegations in the Americas.

The regional meeting was opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina, Santiago Cafiero, the head of the ICRC regional delegation in Brazil and the legal advisor of the IHL Advisory Service at headquarters.
Alexandre Formisano, Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay pointed out in his speech:

“Each and every State present at this Meeting has signed the Geneva Conventions and has freely and voluntarily agreed to be legally bound by the norms enshrined in those treaties. Each and every State has decided that, regardless of the circumstances have given rise to an armed conflict, limiting its human cost is a legal obligation that cannot be ignored. The National Commissions for the Application of IHL have in their hands the possibility of giving life to the norms and principles of this right each time. that contribute with the adoption of national measures for its implementation, but also to help their States to properly raise their voices against those who do not respect their norms, as established in Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions. Without a doubt “Their work is essential so that IHL never becomes a dead letter and continues to be an effective tool for the protection of people affected by armed conflicts.”

The representatives of the National IHL Application Commissions of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay actively participated in the Regional Meeting. Representatives of the National Commissions shared their good practices on the ratification and implementation of IHL in recent years during the first session. A panel then facilitated discussions on the progress of States in fulfilling the promises made during the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, focusing on preparations for the next edition of the conference in 2024. Likewise, another panel made it possible to present the experiences of the States that have produced or are currently producing voluntary reports on the national application of IHL, namely Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador and Uruguay, including time with the reflections of a Spanish expert responsible for the study of compatibility between IHL obligations and national regulations that will serve as the basis for her country’s report. In the sequence, the ICRC gave a presentation on its initiative to adopt a digital emblem.

On the second day of the event, a presentation was made on the new challenges of IHL in the context of Latin American dynamics. Topics discussed included autonomous weapons, explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA), and cyber operations. In the sequence, four working groups were created, each of which focused on different areas: the implementation of criminal repression for violations of IHL; strategies for the protection of cultural assets; legislative responses to the issue of missing persons and support for their families; and the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

The meeting was closed by the Argentine Minister of Defense, Jorge Taiana, together with the president of the Argentine NIHLC and representatives of the ICRC.

More information:

CONADIH and similar organizations and the ICRC:

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) promotes and supports the establishment of National IHL Commissions through its Advisory Service on International Humanitarian Law, in Geneva. Close cooperation with these commissions is an essential aspect of the work of the Advisory Service and its global network of legal advisors. The Service also develops guidelines and technical tools to support and facilitate the functioning and work of national IHL commissions, assists in the exchange of information on the activities and achievements of these entities, and facilitates peer-to-peer exchanges and cooperation between commissions from different countries and regions.

What are CONADIH?

The CONADIH are national IHL commissions that were created with the purpose of supporting States in fulfilling their duty to respect and ensure respect for IHL. They are a consultative body on the matter. They work on the adoption of necessary measures to incorporate IHL into the legal system of each country and its dissemination among the armed forces and other parties concerned at the national level. The relevance of the CONADIH is tangible in times of peace, during conflicts and after them in the face of their consequences since, being platforms for collaboration between government entities at the national level, they allow the different State agencies to comply with international obligations. of their country, resulting in greater protection of the civilian population.