Actions taken:
The commitments contained in the pledge were incorporated in an operation plan, at the international and national level.
The Swiss Government adopted the first voluntary report on the domestic implementation of international humanitarian law (IHL) by Switzerland on 12 August 2020. The Swiss Red Cross supported the Swiss Interdepartmental Committee for IHL in the preparation of the report. Switzerland presented and promoted the voluntary report to members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of the Parliament on 5 October 2020.
Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross Co-organization of a round table “International Humanitarian Law: What does Switzerland do?” on 18 November 2020 (cf. press release). It gathered representatives from the Ministry of foreign affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Swiss Red Cross and the Swiss parliament. It allowed the promotion of the voluntary report and a broader discussion on contemporary questions on domestic implementation of IHL. Due to the sanitary situation and to allow broader participation, the event was live streamed. The video recording of the event was broadcast on social media (Twitter, Linkedin) and picked up by the federal departments concerned and the female politicians invited.
In 2021, the Swiss Red Cross contributed to the translation into German of an ICRC application for smartphones, in collaboration with the German National Society and with the support of Switzerland. This application provides access to more than 50 treaties and customary rules of IHL. The Swiss Red Cross promoted it to the Parliament.
The Swiss Red Cross supports the preparation of an interactive movie to disseminate IHL to the general population, together with other members of the Movement.
To implement the commitments contained in the pledge, collaboration took place between the Swiss Red Cross, the Government and public authorities, the ICRC as well as other National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies.
Indeed, both Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross signed the pledge. The ICRC was involved in the preparation of the voluntary report on the domestic implementation of IHL by Switzerland. It also took part in a round table on Switzerland’s engagement on domestic implementation of IHL. The Swiss Red Cross supports the preparation of an interactive movie to disseminate IHL to the general population, together with the ICRC and other National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Regarding the challenges, funding constraints limit the number of projects supported and the amounts granted. Competing priorities limit the resources available to take more actions together. The pandemics of Covid-19 raised challenges to organise events.
The commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the work: cooperation between Government/public authorities and National Society has been strengthened; programming and operations have become more effective and efficient; innovative tools/methodologies have been developed and are utilized.
In particular, Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross consolidated their regular dialogue and continued to build upon their strong partnership, within the Interdepartmental Committee for IHL and beyond. Due to the pandemics and political will, the use of new technologies and digital means increased (for example to communicate, raise awareness and stream events).
Regarding the impact, the fruitful collaboration between Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross contributed to reinforce the dissemination of IHL in the country. This includes the promotion of a better respect for and domestic implementation of IHL. Ultimately, this aims to contribute to a better protection of people affected by armed conflict. Although the number of actions and the audience of projects led by Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross can be measured, it is difficult to quantify their impact on the communities affected by armed conflict.