A) Objectifs de l’engagement
Governments and National Societies of the Commonwealth met in April 2024 in Pretoria for the 6th Commonwealth Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference on International Humanitarian Law. During this Conference, they presented and discussed their ongoing contributions to the implementation of, and respect for, international humanitarian law, and agreed to make further individual and collective commitments to advance their contributions.
This pledge has been developed as an outcome of the 6th Commonwealth Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference on International Humanitarian Law. It aims to build upon the valuable work done by Governments and National Societies of the Commonwealth in implementing Resolution 1 of the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, entitled “Bringing IHL Home: a road map towards better implementation of international humanitarian law”, and to give effect to [Resolution 1 of the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent entitled “Building a universal culture of respect for international humanitarian law”.
B) Plan d’action
We, Governments and National Societies of the Commonwealth, pledge, through cooperation, collaboration and collective action, to contribute to respect for and upholding of international humanitarian law in the face of evolving challenges.
We, Governments and National Societies of the Commonwealth, further pledge, as applicable, to:
- Contribute to the universalization of IHL by ratifying or acceding to relevant treaties, in particular the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, and encourage other States to do the same;
- Encourage States to consider endorsing the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA Political Declaration);
- Encourage States to consider recognizing the competence of the International Fact-Finding Commission, as established under Article 90 of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions, as a means to contribute to an optimum attitude of respect for IHL;
- Strengthen efforts towards the adoption of necessary domestic measures to implement IHL, including in areas of relevance for the Commonwealth, for instance the prevention of and protection against sexual violence, the protection of medical services, the protection of persons with disabilities, the protection of the natural environment, the use of new technologies, and counter-terrorism measures amongst others;
- Establish a national committee or similar entity on IHL where none exists and continue strengthening and promoting the work of those that are already established;
- Enhance the dissemination of IHL, including through innovative and digital approaches, to various audiences, in particular to armed forces, the judicial sector, policy makers and academia;
- Seize opportunities for dialogue and partnerships to enhance compliance with IHL, including through sharing of good practices between national committees and similar entities on IHL and strengthening engagement between Commonwealth Member States and their respective National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and in particular promoting engagement with smaller Commonwealth countries;
- Regularly report on the achievements made in the implementation of IHL, including by publishing voluntary reports on the domestic implementation of IHL, submitting contributions to the report of the United Nations Secretary-General on the Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions, and submitting reports to relevant treaty bodies;
- Actively support, and participate in, the 7th Commonwealth Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference on IHL planned in 2028, and, for those that have such a committee, the upcoming 6th Meeting of Representatives of National Committees on IHL of Commonwealth States, as well as promote the inclusion of IHL themes on the agenda of official Commonwealth meetings.
C) Indicateurs permettant de mesurer les avancées:
- Number of IHL treaties ratified or acceded to by Commonwealth States
- Number of new laws or legislative amendments implementing IHL adopted by Commonwealth Member States
- Increase in the number of national committees or similar entities of Commonwealth Member States
- Number of peer-to-peer engagements between national committees or similar entities of Commonwealth Member States
- Number of reports on the domestic implementation of IHL published by Commonwealth Member States
- Number of Commonwealth Member States represented at the 6th Meeting of Representatives of National Committees on IHL of Commonwealth States and of the 7th Commonwealth Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference on IHL
D) Ressources nécessaires:
To be determined by each Commonwealth State and National Society based on their own plans to implement the pledge.
