A) Objectifs de l’engagement
Compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL) is, amongst other, depending on knowledge of the rules by service members, as well as compliance attitudes and culture amongst armed forces personnel, on all command levels.
Conscious of the above, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence commissioned the Norwegian Defence University College in 2009 to produce a military manual. The result was the Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict. It entered into force in 2013, as a Chief of Defence Directive to the Norwegian Armed Forces.
The purpose of the manual is to make the rules of IHL accessible to the Norwegian Armed Forces Personnel. The Norwegian Ministry of Defence chose to make a practical guide for planning and conducting operations, and when teaching IHL. The target audience is personnel at operational and tactical level. Further, the manual aims to reinforce attitudes and culture relating to IHL, by the Chief of Defence issuing it as a Directive to all service members.
Experiences from the use of the manual reveals potential to enhance guidance, by supplementing the manual on relevant topics. In order for the manual to stay relevant for the Norwegian Armed Forces Personnel, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence decided to review the manual, and update it. This is important for the manual to keep serving its purpose, to disseminate IHL, and ensure IHL compliance.
B) Plan d’action
Conscious of the Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict importance for IHL dissemination and compliance, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence pledge on updating the Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict.
C) Indicateurs permettant de mesurer les avancées:
Implementation of this pledge will follow the internal Norwegian Ministry of Defence process of reviewing and updating the Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict.
D) Ressources nécessaires:
Implementation of this pledge will be based on the Norwegian Ministry of Defence resources.