Actions taken:
•The Canadian National Committee on Humanitarian Law (CNCHL) is mandated to promote the dissemination of IHL, including to the general public. During the reporting period, Canadian Red Cross and the CNCHL continued and strengthened its work.
•Since 2019, Canadian Red Cross has engaged with the CNCHL on a regular basis, including serving as secretariat and chairing meetings.
•Canadian Red Cross supported and encouraged CNCHL participation in various meetings and engagements on IHL domestically and internationally.
•In 2023, CNCHL relaunched their bilingual website to explain its mandate, list its membership and host its activities and reports.
•In 2023, an official Memorandum of Understanding was signed among The Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development; The Department of National Defence; The Department of Justice; The Department of Public Safety including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; The Canadian Red Cross Society, concerning the Establishment of the CNCHL, further strengthening the shared commitment to the work of the CNCHL.
•The CNCHL is currently preparing its inaugural “Voluntary Report on the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) at the Domestic Level”. This voluntary report highlight the steps Canada has taken to implement its IHL obligations and related commitments.