Promoting international humanitarian law: extract from ICRC Annual Report 2006

Relations with the media

The year 2006 saw the media focus on the ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Iraq, the occupied and autonomous Palestinian territories and Afghanistan, as well as on new or resurgent conflicts in Chad, Somalia and Sri Lanka. The conflict in Lebanon in early July probably attracted the most media attention during the year, including the work of the ICRC and the Lebanese Red Cross, which were active across the country from the outset. The issues of US detention at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba and at Bagram in Afghanistan, and undisclosed detention in the framework of the “war on terrorism”, were again the focus of much public debate in which IHL featured prominently.

Conversely, the plight of victims of low-intensity conflicts and other situations of violence that affected many other countries throughout the world, including Colombia, Haiti and various parts of the Caucasus, received much less media coverage.

Considerable media interest was generated when the 29th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, held in Geneva in June 2006, amended the Movement’s Statutes to incorporate the additional emblem of the red crystal. This third emblem now has the same status as the red cross and red crescent.

The ICRC’s media relations teams at headquarters in Geneva and in delegations around the world felt the growing impact of global and real-time news coverage and worked more as one global team; ICRC communication hubs in Beijing, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Kuala Lumpur, London, Moscow, Paris and Washington were also increasingly solicited on the full range of ICRC issues.

This trend did not diminish the crucial importance of relations with local media in conflict areas to garner support for humanitarian security and access, relay practical information to beneficiaries and promote respect for IHL.

The ICRC facilitated a number of field visits by journalists and production teams interested in particular operational contexts and humanitarian issues. It also hosted media briefings and round-tables to strengthen the media’s understanding of humanitarian issues and IHL and to foster more and better reporting on the situation of people affected by armed conflict.

Through contacts with leading regional and international media, including regional Arab media based in the Gulf region, the ICRC was able to contribute to the debate on a number of key topics (the continuing relevance of IHL against the backdrop of the “war on terrorism”, the future of impartial, neutral and independent humanitarian action, missing persons, the conduct of hostilities and the protection to be given to detainees).

Together with the Legal Division, the ICRC Press Unit continued to provide expert advice to journalists’ organizations endeavouring to strengthen the protection of media professionals on dangerous assignments. A hotline was also kept open for journalists facing difficulties in the field.

The Press Unit also provided key communication support for four regional conferences on Restoring Family Links held in Nairobi, Kiev, Buenos Aires and Kuala Lumpur as part of the Movement’s efforts to work out a ten-year strategy for strengthening its response to the plight of families separated by conflict and people without news of their loved ones.

Dialogue with armed, security and police forces, and other weapon bearers

The ICRC strives to ensure that the rank and file of armed, security and police forces know and apply IHL and human rights law in their daily practice, and that other weapon bearers respect IHL and support, or refrain from actively opposing, humanitarian action. To this end, it continued to help devise and run IHL and human rights training programmes for armed, security and police forces. These activities, conducted by 22 specialized ICRC delegates backed up by a multinational network of officer-instructors, raised training standards in over 100 countries.

Throughout 2006 the ICRC consolidated its relations with the armed forces of various countries and with NATO forces trained for overseas deployment. The ICRC president and the director of operations travelled to Brussels to meet with high-level NATO officials.

The ICRC also worked closely with NATO on its detention procedures as applied by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. To enhance understanding of the ICRC’s role and its operational procedures among US officers, the organization introduced a comprehensive dissemination programme that was implemented by a specialized delegate posted in Washington. In addition, the ICRC adopted a strategy setting out its approach to the US military deployed all over the world, in order to ensure a coherent approach towards US forces involved in different conflicts.

Closer contacts were also established with the British and French armed forces, for the same purpose, and relations were further consolidated with military academies and institutes.
In 2006, the ICRC published Understanding Arms Carriers, a booklet designed to give new ICRC delegates a better grasp of the various categories of weapon bearers. The Handbook on the Law of War for Armed Forces was thoroughly revised and updated by an expert. It will be issued as a DVD in 2007 to make it more user friendly.

The organization also drafted guidelines on relations with non-State actors in an effort to establish a dialogue with political and armed groups and to strengthen their acceptance of the ICRC and respect for IHL. It produced a film of interviews with former fighters in different countries talking about their knowledge of and respect for the ICRC and IHL. The film will be ready to use as a dissemination tool for armed groups in 2007.

The San Remo Institute, especially its military department, continued to receive financial and technical assistance and advice from the ICRC. In 2006, some 80 military officers from nearly 30 countries received ICRC scholarships to attend military courses on IHL in San Remo.

In 2006, the ICRC also took part in over ten international military exercises in Europe and elsewhere (Moldova, Senegal). The purpose of the ICRC’s involvement was to ensure that the relevant IHL principles were included in the planning of military scenarios, to convey knowledge of its mandate and activities and to enable the participants to experience simulated situations involving humanitarian workers by taking part in role-playing exercises. The ICRC attended NATO exercises in Turkey (Brilliant Ledger 2, Steadfast) and Norway (Steadfast). It also participated in a major exercise in Thailand (Cobra Gold) organized by the US Pacific Command.

Implementation of the ICRC’s project on missing persons, scheduled to run from 2003 to 2007, was pursued according to plan. Work continued on the implementation of best practices, such as providing means of identification for members of armed forces, communicating with family members and the proper handling of human remains. To collect information for the project, ICRC staff responsible for relations with local armed and security forces conducted a survey of the situation in 39 countries. The organization subsequently produced an information kit containing a booklet, brochures and a CD-ROM, to be used in its efforts to help armed forces prevent and/or resolve the problem of missing persons amongst their personnel and other groups.

Reaching out to decision-makers and opinion-formers

Academic circles

As the reference organization for IHL, the ICRC continued to provide curriculum input and support for a network of academic institutes and universities identified as training grounds for future leaders and decision-makers. ICRC delegations in the field were also active in developing context-specific course materials for academic circles. In particular, the second English edition of the casebook entitled How Does Law Protect in War?, which became available in January 2006, was promoted as an important teaching aid in universities all over the world. This expanded text provides professors, practitioners and students with the most updated and comprehensive selection of documents on IHL available.

Advanced students and faculty members selected from a wide circle of applicants were able to benefit from intensive IHL courses organized by headquarters in a number of locations (Geneva, Sion and Warsaw). ICRC delegations in the field also reinforced partnerships with universities and higher-education institutes specializing in IHL around the world through events such as courses, symposia, working sessions and moot court competitions.

Youth

The ICRC continued to develop two large-scale programmes for young people in formal education settings – the Exploring Humanitarian Law programme, and the secondary school programme for member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Through these programmes, the ICRC actively promoted the integration of IHL instruction at the secondary school level, working in close cooperation with the educational authorities and National Society of the countries concerned.

By the end of the year, some 70 countries worldwide were working to implement the Exploring Humanitarian Law programme. Four regional programme advisers (covering Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, Central, Eastern and Southern Europe and Asia) continued to provide guidance to ICRC delegations with a view to guaranteeing a coherent institutional approach to implementation in their regions. They also promoted networking and the exchange of experiences among implementing partners, thereby fostering the building of a community of practice.

To ensure the programme’s success, the ICRC worked with ministries of education and National Societies to consolidate it on the basis of identified best practices while continuing to provide academic, technical and financial assistance for translation, teacher training and materials. To foster the sharing of experience and build confidence, it held several regional and subregional meetings with educational authorities and the National Society personnel responsible for introducing the programme at country level.

A European Educational Leadership Seminar on the programme, bringing together educational authorities and National Societies, was co-organized by the ICRC and the Austrian Red Cross in Vienna in May 2006 under the auspices of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The seminar served to strengthen the commitment of the 30 participating countries to the Exploring Humanitarian Law programme and to jump-start the implementation process.

With funding from the government of the Netherlands, the ICRC developed the Exploring Humanitarian Law Virtual Campus, an internet-based support structure for the programme, in 2006. The Virtual Campus aims to provide teachers at secondary level with programme-related news, information, teaching aids and distance-learning tools. The pilot site was tested with a group of some 120 teachers. On the basis of their feedback, the site will be further developed and launched in early 2007.

Other civil society target groups

Under the terms of the Agreement signed by the ICRC and the Nordic National Societies in September 2005, “Communicating IHL and Neutral and Independent Humanitarian Action”, the ICRC held two meetings with partner National Societies with a view to implementing the first plan of action (2005–2007).

In cooperation with the Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research, a course on IHL and current conflicts was designed and organized for policy-makers and practitioners from around the world concerned with the role of IHL in the work of governments, international organizations and humanitarian NGOs. ICRC delegations organized similar courses at the national and regional level.

The ICRC Visitors’ Service continued to raise awareness of the ICRC and IHL and to liaise with present and future decision-makers and opinion-leaders, welcoming nearly 10,000 people to ICRC headquarters. Following a stakeholder-mapping exercise, the Service worked to strengthen its interaction with key stakeholders for the ICRC and develop its networking function.

Communication research and methodology

The ICRC continued to work closely with academic circles specializing in research on armed conflict and preventing violations of IHL and other fundamental rules that protect people in situations of violence. In particular, the results of the ICRC study, The Roots of Behaviour in War, were further integrated into the ICRC’s strategies and operations.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, the organization set out to define the prevention arm of its operations in relation to the protection of people affected by armed conflict in particular, but also as part of the overall ICRC humanitarian response, including assistance operations and cooperation with other components of the Movement. Policy guidelines on the ICRC’s prevention activities were drafted in 2006 for approval in 2007.

In particular, the ICRC set out to establish a monitoring and evaluation framework for its work on preventing violations of IHL in the field. This long-term project is part of the organiza-tion’s overall efforts to enhance accountability to donors and beneficiaries by means of results-based management.

Preventive mine-action operations

The aim of the ICRC’s preventive mine-action operations is to ensure that the Movement has the skills and capacity to reduce the incidence of death and injury and to limit the socio-economic impact caused by landmines and explosive remnants of war. To achieve this aim, the ICRC draws on a wide range of skills and capacities from within the Movement, capitalizing on local National Society networks wherever possible. Activities are adapted to each context, but normally include a flexible combination of incident data-gathering, mine-risk education and mine-risk reduction (alternative water and fuel sources), safe play areas for children, and other practical measures. The ICRC also works to halt the use of anti-personnel mines and to encourage those responsible to cooperate in locating and clearing contaminated areas.

In 2006, the ICRC developed a mine-action management handbook and a mine-action training package which will become available early in 2007. Mine-action elements were integrated into relevant guidelines, toolboxes, policies, training and procedures in accordance with the integration plan finalized in November 2005. In the field, the ICRC continued to review existing operations and realign them with the preventive mine-action framework.

The ICRC held consultations with National Societies active internationally and National Societies concerned with mine action operations in their own countries with a view to creating synergies and implementing a common approach. Steps were also taken to integrate an emergency response vision, including the incorporation of clearance cooperation, into the Movement’s mine-action emergency response capacity.

Support for communication in the field

In 2006, headquarters support for communication in the field concentrated on reinforcing the delegations’ capacity to integrate communication into their operations, through sharper analysis and better definition of priorities. Seven regional meetings were held in conjunction with the relevant operational units to take stock of communication challenges, strengthen regional identities in the direction desired and adapt existing strategies. A dozen support missions were carried out to priority delegations, such as Sudan, Pakistan and Iraq, and to contexts with emerging communication challenges and opportunities, for example in the Near East, India and the Central African Republic. Serious steps were taken to start collecting and systematizing delegation practices in the field of operational communication, with a view to providing support to delegations confronted with particular acceptance problems.

The Department opened a full-time training position, broadening the communication training output during the year: eight courses were organized in the field and at headquarters, the regular production supervision and media relations courses were reviewed and consolidated, and three new courses were launched to respond to previously identified needs: basic communication (including analysis and planning) for newly appointed communication staff, operational communication in major delegations (first experience in Sudan) and media relations for senior management staff. The Department also provided support for other institutional courses for new delegates and headquarters staff.

The environments in which the ICRC operates are becoming increasingly complex and information circulates more widely and swiftly than ever before, so operational responses must systematically take into account the communication dimension. The management of communication staff in the field is therefore of growing strategic importance. In these circumstances, ensuring the deployment of competent and well-adapted staff without any gaps in coverage throughout 2006 proved a daunting challenge. An internal study was launched of communication human resources in the field, with a view to improving the Department’s ability to manage staff in a forward-looking way.

In 2006, further steps were taken to monitor perceptions of the ICRC and humanitarian action, in order to ensure focused communications to bridge the gap between the ICRC’s (or Movement’s) desired and perceived identities, for the benefit of the victims. Thematic studies were carried out on the perception of the emblem in the Middle East and on the perception of the “red cross” by the Muslim population in Nigeria with a view to enhancing respect of and support for activities of the Movement components. New approaches were developed to ensure fuller account is taken of the Movement’s identity when working out positioning strategies and to support National Society communication based on enhanced understanding of their image within their national constituencies. Efforts in these directions will continue in 2007.

See ICRC Annual Report 2006.