Report on – 33rd IC Resolution 1: Bringing IHL home: A road map for better national implementation of international humanitarian law (33IC/19/R1) – Government of Canada

Votre État/Société nationale/institution a-t-il/elle incorporé les engagements contenus dans cette résolution dans les plans stratégiques ou opérationnels pertinents ?

Les engagements sont incorporés dans les documents suivants:
Politique
Plan opérationnel

Au International, National niveau

Précisions :

Integration of IHL into national policy:

• Canada continuously takes measures to further implement IHL within our national framework and policies, for instance releasing a national Statement on International Law applicable in Cyberspace which includes a section on IHL.   

• Canada has ratified key IHL treaties and participates in related reporting exercises.   

• Canada has an active Canadian National Committee on IHL (CNCHL) which hosts meetings at regular intervals.  

Dissemination of IHL:

• All Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members receive training on the four Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols during their basic military training. Eleven key IHL rules are also set out in the Code of Conduct for CAF Personnel. The Code of Conduct is purposely framed as a clear and simple list of IHL rules, virtually universal in application, which helps point soldiers to the right choice of conduct when faced with quick decisions under considerable stress and in times of confusion. The Code of Conduct is taught during basic military training for all CAF members, whether officers or non-commissioned members. 

• The Code of Conduct also forms the basis of much of the IHL training provided by the CAF to foreign militaries, including in the context of operations overseas. For instance, the CAF developed and updates the curriculum for the Law of Armed Conflict ( LOAC) portion of the Caribbean Junior Command and Staff Course which runs twice yearly and is attended by 30-50 candidates from Jamaica, and various Caribbean, South American and African nations. 
• Canada also provides IHL training during a five-day workshop on Women, Peace and Security at various locations worldwide, attended by approximately 50 foreign military members. The CAF also offers regular IHL training on courses it delivers, including the United Nations Staff Officer Course, the United Nations Military Expert on Mission Course, and the Army Operations Course.  
• Canada led a collaborative process with the United Nations, United Nations Member States, and civil society to develop the Implementation Guidance for the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers. The aim of this non-binding guidance is to support States as they develop the national-level policies, doctrine, training, and education required to implement the Vancouver Principles. Accordingly, the implementation guidance contains numerous recommendations aimed at disseminating IHL, including relevant prohibitions.  

Canada also continues to advance protection of the most vulnerable people affected by conflict and provision of humanitarian assistance: 

• At the multilateral and field-level, Canada continues to advocate for the safety and security of humanitarian and medical personnel and for their rapid and unimpeded access to conflict-affected populations to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance. 

• Canada’s National Action Plan for the Implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security (Action Plan) for 2017-2022 sets out specific commitments to address SGBV in humanitarian and conflict settings.  

• Canada also provides flexible, quality funding to its humanitarian partners, including the ICRC,  to advocate for respect for IHL and to protect and assist crisis-affected populations. 

Exchanges of National Implementation Measures: 

• Canada has participated in regional meetings such as the 6th Commonwealth Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference on IHL that took place in April 2024. During this conference Canada participated actively in discussions and working groups on a variety of IHL topics and prepared information to be shared as takeaways with other national committees.  

Votre État/Société nationale/institution a-t-il/elle coopéré avec d’autres partenaires aux fins de la mise en œuvre des engagements contenus dans cette résolution ?

Partenariats avec :
Société nationale de la Croix-Rouge ou du Croissant-Rouge de votre pays
Gouvernement et/ou autorités publiques
CICR/Fédération internationale
Partenaires de l’humanitaire et du développement (par ex. Nations Unies, organisations non gouvernementales, etc.)
Universités

Exemples de coopération :

• The Government of Canada and the CRC work closely together to promote awareness of the principles and rules of IHL by engaging in several dissemination activities. These include delivering the ICRC’s Exploring Humanitarian Law and the CRC’s Canada and Conflict: A Humanitarian Perspective educator training across Canada. Educator trainings are held for high school teachers who teach a range of subject specialities, including law, social studies, history, civics, global issues, and political science. The goal is to promote the introduction of these materials and concepts in the classroom and increase teacher understanding of the main principles of IHL. For example, the Office of the Judge Advocate General supports this training across Canada by presenting their unique operational perspectives to teachers. 

• The Canadian Department of Justice provides IHL education and training to several Government of Canada departments, including front-line workers such as customs agents and immigration officers.

The Government of Canada is also involved in the dissemination of IHL principles to the general public in a variety of ways. These include teaching or guest lecturing at post-secondary institutions, organizing  community or public outreach programs and interacting with individual groups or members of the public through ongoing casework. 

• The Canadian Foreign Service Institute and Global Affairs Canada’s International Humanitarian Assistance Bureau, in collaboration with the ICRC, offer an annual two-day course on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict and other Situations of Violence. This course is offered to GAC officers and, in particular, officers deploying on Foreign Service assignments to conflict-affected countries. 

• In its statements and at various multilateral fora, the Government of Canada also continues to consistently call for safeguarding the operating space of impartial humanitarian organizations, and respect for IHL by all parties to conflicts. 

Vous êtes-vous heurté·e à des difficultés dans la mise en œuvre des engagements contenus dans cette résolution?

Difficultés rencontrées :
Autre

Précisions au sujet des difficultés :

Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic the Government of Canada transferred to remote work, which led to the postponement of certain activities as we adjusted to a new virtual workspace.  

Les engagements contenus dans cette résolution ont-ils eu une ou des incidences sur l’action et les orientations de votre État/Société nationale/institution ?

Type d’incidence :
La coopération entre le gouvernement/les autorités publiques et la Société nationale a été renforcée.
Des partenariats avec d’autres acteurs humanitaires ont été noués ou renforcés

Précisions au sujet des incidences :

• Ongoing cooperation between the Government of Canada and the Canadian Red Cross, particularly in the context of the Canadian National Committee on IHL (CNCHL), has led to the accomplishment of several joint projects including:  

• • The CNCHL is in the final stages of updating their Memorandum of Understanding, which creates the framework for our CNCHL.  

• • Canada is in the final stages of publishing the inaugural Voluntary Report on Domestic Implementation of IHL which highlights the work done to promote IHL on a national level including by the members of the CNCHL.   

• • Recently the CNCHL has updated its website. The new platform now contains information relating to the members of the committee, their mandate as well as the activities carried out by the committee.   

Les engagements contenus dans cette résolution ont-ils eu des incidences sur les communautés auxquelles votre État/Société nationale/institution vient en aide ?

Description des incidences :

Through the Government of Canada’s work to promote the dissemination of IHL, it has increased the level of IHL awareness amongst the communities with whom it has engaged.