National measures to implement international humanitarian law

31-12-1986 Article, International Review of the Red Cross, No. 256

25th International Conference of the Red Cross, Geneva, 23 to 31 October 1986, Resolution 5

The Twenty-fifth International Conference of the Red Cross,

 conscious of the fact that the Parties to the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocols have undertaken to respect and also to ensure respect for these instruments in all circumstances,

 recalling the duty of the States Parties to communicate to one another, through the depository and, during hostilities, through the Protecting Powers, the official translations of the Conventions and the Additional Protocols, as well as the laws and regulations they may adopt to ensure their application,

 having examined the document presented by the ICRC on Respect for  international humanitarian law-National measures to implement the Geneva  Conventions and their Additional Protocols in peacetime,  

 reaffirming that the very applicability of international humanitarian law depends largely upon the adoption of appropriate national legislation,

 1. urges the governments of States Parties to the Geneva Conventions and, as the case may be, to the Additional Protocols to fulfil entirely their obligation to adopt or supplement the relevant national legislation, as well as to inform one another, as stated above, of the measures taken or under consideration for this purpose,

 2. invites National Societies to assist and co-operate with their own governments in fulfilling their obligation in this respect,

 3. appeals to governments and National Societies to give the ICRC their full support and the information to enable it to follow up the progress achieved in legislative and other measures taken for the implementation of international humanitarian law,

 4. requests the ICRC to gather and assess the said information and to report regularly to the International Conferences of the Red Cross and Red Crescent on the follow-up to the present resolution.