The event featured an overview of the core concepts of IHL and presentations and debates on tools and good practices for implementing IHL domestically. There was also an update on the Global IHL Initiative, including an analysis of its scope, structure and objectives, and a closer look at some of its workstreams.
Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa launched the Global IHL Initiative, together with the ICRC. They seek to reverse the vicious circle of IHL violations and overcome political divisions and deadlock. They intend to make IHL a political priority at the global, regional and domestic levels, refocusing the debate on armed conflicts on the urgent need for the international community to set higher expectations for the parties to armed conflict in terms of the universal, uniform and faithful application of IHL. To date, more than 100 states have joined the Global IHL Initiative, including four countries in the Caribbean – Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Guyana – demonstrating the increasing interest in the region.
In attendance were representatives of the government of Barbados (including Her Excellency Kerryann Ifill, Human Rights Commissioner), 14 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states, the CARICOM secretariat, the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), the Barbados Red Cross Society, and the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.
The workshop addressed some of the challenges of IHL in contemporary armed conflict, such as artificial intelligence in military decision-making, autonomous weapon systems, explosive weapons in populated areas and the use of information and communication technologies in armed conflict. It also explored the role of National Red Cross Societies in the dissemination of IHL and the future treaty on the protection of persons in the event of disasters.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other situatios of violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often with its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners. The organization also seeks to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and championing universal humanitarian principles.
The regional delegation in Caracas covers the ICRC’s activities in Venezuela, Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as in Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and other parts of the region.
For more information, please contact:
Carly Bastidas Gil, Communication Coordinator, ICRC Venezuela
cbastidasgil@icrc.org
+58 424-1805628
