Report on pledge – IHL promotion, dissemination and implementation

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The Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) has taken the following actions, as divided in the sections below:

• Participation in a meeting of the National Committee on IHL and in meetings of its working group.
• Contribution of the BRC to the Review and Assessment of the Compliance of Bulgarian Legislation and National Measures for the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law, written contribution.
• BRC representatives participated in working meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, targeted meetings with CMDRCOE and in discussions concerning restrictive regimes, protection of the Emblem and a number of other issues.
• The BRC contributed to the drafting, printing and translation into English of the Summary of the First Review of the current legislation against IHL norms, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria.
• The BRC continued to maintain the reference network of higher education institutions interested in the topic of IHL built by the organization, with regular submission of information on opportunities for participation in international competitions, as well as essay contests, where Bulgaria was represented by Plovdiv University and the Military Academy.
• The IHL Club at the Faculty of Law of Plovdiv University, under the leadership of the founder of the club and member of the Bulgarian Red Cross Governing Board, deputy chairman of the Plovdiv Regional Red Cross Organization, published a study guide on IHL and a glossary of basic terms used in this area of law.
• The Bulgarian Red Cross Youth (BRCY) has achieved success and has a very high coverage with clubs throughout the country, with a significant presence, through its serious project activities and especially in the field of education of young people on fundamental principles, common human values and IHL, and has received national awards in the above category.
• The main audiences for the Bulgarian Red Cross courses and seminars on international humanitarian law and the specialized materials disseminated by the Bulgarian Red Cross in this field, as well as the relevant information campaigns organized, are: representatives of the armed forces, state institutions and non-governmental organizations, students, lecturers, representatives of academic and medical circles, journalists and Red Cross volunteers and staff;
• The 5th Universal Meeting of IHL National Committees, organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) under the theme “Reclaiming IHL through domestic legislation and policy”, was held from 29 November – 2 December 2021 in videoconference format. This was the first time that the BRC participated actively in the Universal Meeting, as the organization has previously only had observer status. One of the main objectives of the meeting was to exchange good practices, share experiences and deepen cooperation between IHL National Committees (IHL NCs) and between States. More than 280 participants were registered, representing 118 IHL NCs, as well as observers from international and regional organizations with experience in IHL implementation.
• Information was regularly submitted on opportunities to participate in international competitions, including the Kirimli Dr. Aziz Bey International Humanitarian Law Moot Court in Turkey and the Moot Court Competition in Slovenia, as well as essay competitions. The initiatives are designed for law students and take place in a variety of formats, due to COVID-19, including hybrid form, entirely in virtual environments or with a physical presence.
• In November 2021, a team from the Faculty of Law of Sofia University participated for the first time in the All-European Competition on International Humanitarian and Refugee Law, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, reaching the semi-finals. The competition is held in several phases, with participants demonstrating skills in peace negotiations and mock trials, arguing before experts from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Criminal Court.
• A total of three bulletins on IHL and related topical issues were periodically produced and sent to the IHL network.
• BRC participated in the process of tracking existing responsible arms transfer regimes relevant to compliance with IHL norms and reporting on progress made by Bulgaria, discussions on autonomous weapons systems, the Arms Trade Treaty, the ban on the use of nuclear weapons, export regimes, and others. Additionally, the BRC joined an international call by the national societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent encouraging governments of States not party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to join as observers in the first meeting of States Parties to the Treaty, scheduled for the early 2022.
• In 2022 the BRCY signed an agreement with the National Representation of Student Councils in the Republic of Bulgaria for the implementation of joint initiatives in the field of volunteering, promotion of IHL and other topics related to young people in Bulgaria, contributing to their involvement in socially important causes and activities.
• The BRC collaborated with academia on various issues and in 2022, the BRC participated with a paper in an interdisciplinary, annual scientific conference of the New Bulgarian University on “Rights and Crises in the 21st Century” and a conference of the South-West University in Blagoevgrad “Neofit Rilski” on “Law and Society in the Pandemic World”, with a paper on “Crises in the 21st century and the need for a holistic approach in the work of humanitarian organizations”, in the presentation of the report on the National Scientific Program “Environmental Protection and Risk Reduction from Natural Disasters” of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Education, in a meeting on combating propaganda and hybrid attacks, etc.
• The BRC revised ICRC materials on the Emblem, including following up on current issues related to the use of the Emblems. The study also covered the legislation of other countries on the use of the Emblems. In this regard, the BRC also studied the Bulgarian legal framework concerning the regulation of the Emblem at the statutory and sub-statutory level, and prepared a document with recommendations for the protection of the Emblem, the prevention of misuse and the procedures for proper use of the Emblem;
• A project for a campaign was drafted and a social media campaign dedicated to the Emblem was launched, consisting of several information posts aimed at raising awareness among the civil population on development issues, proper use, prevention of misuse and procedures in cases of misuse. Within the Campaign, a survey was carried out, the results of which were processed and summarized. The results of the survey and the Campaign are available on the official website of the BRC.
• The BRC has compiled a step-by-step guide for conducting an online social media campaign dedicated to the Emblems, to be disseminated to other NSs of Red Cross and Red Crescent.
• The BRC participated in a meeting to hold an event for students on IHL and the activities of the Red Cross organization in the form of a lecture held on the World Red Cross Day at Sofia University. The aim of the event was to raise awareness about IHL, the role of the Organization of the Red Cross, as well as to develop students’ practical skills in solving IHL cases on contemporary issues.
• In its day-to-day work, the BRC dealt with work on cases concerning the legitimate use of the Emblem;
• The Bulgarian Red Cross has drafted an online form embedded in the NS website for filing reports in cases of misuse of the emblem, which provides for the possibility of filing reports by private persons and entities;
• Organizational meetings on the workshop which was held in November 2023 at Sofia University, aiming to raise interest in the field of IHL with a target group – students from different law faculties. For the purpose of the workshop, a case study in the field of IHL and the prohibition of the use of force was prepared. Lecturers and professors from Bulgarian universities participated in the first part of the workshop.
• The Bulgarian Red Cross expanded its participation in the IHL competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia, by preparing and sending two Bulgarian teams for the first time that represented Bulgaria and the Red Cross as well as their educational institutions in this year’s edition of the competition, qualifying for the quarterfinals.

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