Actions taken:
Irish Red Cross has engaged in a range of activities to raise the awareness of the humanitarian effects of the use of EWIPA, as a key part of a broader thematic focus on urban warfare. Some of these activities included:
- In November 2022, Irish Red Cross supported the INEW event “Global Civil society Forum on Protecting Civilians from Explosive Weapons” held in Dublin, Ireland ahead of the EWIPA Political Declaration signing ceremony.
- IHL Conference 2023 held in October, titled “War in Cities: exploring the devastating effects of urban warfare”. This included speakers from civil society and the Irish Defence Forces, who spoke about the effects of EWIPA and what is needed for the implementation of the EWIPA Political Declaration.
- Irish Red Cross’ annual IHL Competition, the Corn Adomnáin 2023 and 2024 both focused on the theme of “War in Cities”. The fictitious scenario was based in an urban context, and students were tested on IHL specifically relevant to urban warfare, including issues relating to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
- Irish Red Cross, jointly with ICRC, facilitated a cinema campaign which highlighted the effects of War in Cities and the role of States, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and individuals in calling for protections of civilians. The ad, created by ICRC and funded by the EU, was shown to over 640,000 people in cinemas across Ireland from January to April 2024. A dedicated webpage for this can be found here: International Humanitarian Law – We all have a role to play – Irish Red Cross. This campaign was supplemented by a social media campaign which used content relating to the theme of War in Cities.
- Irish Red Cross published two Op-Eds in national newspapers, jointly with ICRC, on the topic of EWIPA in November 2022 and October 2023, and regularly shares content relating to EWIPA and War in Cities on its social media page and its quarterly IHL newsletter.
