Iran: first regional training session on humanitarian law
27-04-2012 News Release 12/96
Tehran (ICRC) – Experts from 11 countries have gathered on Kish Island to participate in an eight-day course on international humanitarian law, jointly organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Iranian Red Crescent Society and the International Campus of Tehran University, which will take place from 27 April to 4 May.
"The present-day rules of international humanitarian law are contained in a number of treaties dealing with matters ranging from the prohibition on the use of certain weapons – those that cause indiscriminate damage and unnecessary suffering – to the protection of victims of armed conflict," said Pierre Ryter, the head of the ICRC mission in Iran, in his welcome speech. "An important part of the ICRC's mandate is to spread knowledge and promote implementation of international humanitarian law."
Over 70 people are attending the eight-day course entitled "South Asia Teaching Session on International Humanitarian Law." The participants include army personnel, government officials and academics from South Asian countries (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and from Iran and Tajikistan. The course will be held in Farsi and English.
"One of the main objectives of such events is to promote the sharing of experience among participating countries in terms of the implementation of the law," said Walter Fuellemann, the head of the ICRC delegation to the United Nations in New York and one of the course panellists.
This will mark the first time that Iran has hosted the regional teaching session on international humanitarian law. The protection of civilians and of buildings of cultural significance, war crimes and international criminal tribunals, and the protection of women during armed conflict will be among the topics discussed. Courses such as this one are essential to the ICRC's ongoing effort to spread knowledge of and respect for international humanitarian law.
For further information, please contact:
Mojgan Mohammad, ICRC Tehran, tel: +98 21 22 64 58 21-4 or +98 919 830 11 61