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

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:
Stratégie
Politique
Plan opérationnel

Au International, Régional, National, Local niveau

Précisions :

The resolution “Bringing IHL home: A road map for better national implementation of international humanitarian law” underlines the importance of national measures to implement IHL and invites states parties to the Geneva Conventions, with the support of their respective National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to discuss and report on steps taken and future steps required to implement IHL in their respective legal systems (OP 2). A report on the implementation of IHL in the Federal Republic of Germany, its format was developed by the German Committee on International Humanitarian Law in the 1990s and published in the form of a questionnaire in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, was converted into a reporting system. It was updated and adopted by the German Committee in September 2020. The publication (print and online) took place in October 2020.

The resolution and its implementation are the subject of continuous exchange at the meetings of the German Committee on International Humanitarian Law. To strengthen the role of National IHL Committees in the implementation, development and dissemination of IHL (OP 5), the German Committee has held meetings, discussing the resolution’s implementation, in 2020, 2021, twice in 2022, twice in 2023 and so far once in 2024. The Committee has taken the resolution as an opportunity to reflect on its own working methods. The results of this process were recorded in an “experience report” as well as in a document on the Committee’s self-conception / mission statement adopted during a 2020 Committee meeting.

In line with the provisions of the resolution to strengthen cooperation between National Committees on the international, regional and cross-regional level (OP 6), the German Committee is in close contact with other National IHL Committees and set up a working group to intensify cooperation with other National IHL Committees in 2022. In May 2021 a meeting with the Slovenian National Committee was held, exploring opportunities to also meet within a larger group of National Committees. A similar meeting was held with the Georgian Committee (Interagency Commission on International Humanitarian Law) in December 2023 where possibilities of cooperation were exchanged and discussed. The German Committee also actively participated in the European Conference of National Committees on IHL, organized by the Austrian Federal Government, the Austrian Red Cross and the ICRC in March 2023. As suggested in the resolution (OP6), the German Committee became a member of the new “digital community” for National IHL Committees in March 2020.

The recommendation, addressed to both states parties to the Geneva Conventions and the components of the Movement, to continue to effectively disseminate IHL was implemented by the German Red Cross (GCR) between 2020 and 2024, including by initiating and supporting virtual dissemination activities (OP 10). These included online lectures and seminars for relevant target groups, such as students as well as GRC employees and volunteers. In 2022, GRC dissemination publications were updated, digitalized and made accessible to the general public. A dissemination newsletter informs interested parties about developments, events and publications in IHL twice a year. As part of a GCR IHL public awareness campaign in May 2023 as well as in May 2024, key messages on IHL were disseminated via digital screens and clips at over 240 train stations across Germany. At the same time, various social media and news websites were used for a digital campaign on IHL (OP 10).

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 :
Gouvernement et/ou autorités publiques
CICR/Fédération internationale
Autres Sociétés nationales de la Croix-Rouge ou du Croissant-Rouge
Universités

Exemples de coopération :

Regarding dissemination with partners, at their annual “Conference on International Humanitarian Law” German RC dissemination officers and members of the German Armed Forces discussed the protection of the environment in armed conflict and other pressing issues in 2022 (also in line with OP 7). The conference in 2023 dealt with the topic of “Warfare in the digital age”, whereas the conference in 2024 was held under the theme “75 years Geneva Conventions: current and future challenges”. The GRC held a two-day multiplier meeting in 2023 to train and connect the volunteer GRC dissemination officers and is in preparation for another such meeting in October 2024. In line with the resolution (OP8) stressing partnerships of National Societies with academics and practitioners to disseminate IHL effectively, the GRC in 2022, 2023 and 2024 closely cooperated with the International Humanitarian Law Clinic at Justus-Liebig University Giessen. The cooperation provided further updates for the ICRC study on customary IHL, consolidates participants’ knowledge of IHL and facilitates access to German implementation practice in IHL internationally. Furthermore, the GRC cooperated as well with the International Humanitarian Law Clinic at the IFHV-Institute of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum developing new materials to disseminate IHL to new, previously hard-to-reach target groups.

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

Difficultés rencontrées :
Priorités concurrentes
Manque de capacités et/ou de soutien (technique, financier ou autre)

Précisions au sujet des difficultés :

The resolution recommends a broad scope of activities whose implementation will necessarily vary based on existing capacities and priorities.

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 outils/méthodes innovateurs ont été élaborés et sont utilisés.
La formation et les capacités du personnel et des volontaires ont été renforcées (pour les Sociétés nationales).

Précisions au sujet des incidences :

Examples for strengthened cooperation between authorities and the National Society include the annual “Conference on International Humanitarian Law” as well as GRC and armed forces’ cooperation in hosting an IHL summer school. Innovative tools for dissemination, such as spreading key messages on IHL via digital screens and clips at train stations across Germany as well as the support for developing the interactive movie “If War Comes To You”, have also been employed. Regarding training and capacity building, a two-day multiplier meeting on IHL in 2023 to train and connect the GRC dissemination officers can be mentioned, which will be repeated on a yearly basis.

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 :

GRC dissemination officers are based at local, regional and national level – their work in disseminating IHL and the Movement’s Fundamental Principles has a particular impact at community level.