Has your State/National Society/Institution incorporated the commitments contained in this resolution into the relevant strategic or operational plans?
YesThe commitments are incorporated into:
Strategy
Operational plan
At the National level
Explanation:
Irish Red Cross’ Strategic Plan incorporates commitments under this resolution, in particular OP3, OP8 and OP10 regarding the dissemination of IHL amongst key stakeholders. This includes with key partners through the National IHL Committee, which generally meets once a year and serves as an opportunity to highlight key dissemination activities, such as those described below.
Other activities Irish Red Cross have undertaken to fulfil commitments under this resolution include:
- A number of public communication activities through Irish news media and social media to disseminate messages about IHL.
- A cinema advertisement campaign joint with ICRC, reaching over 600,000 views in Irish cinemas
- Several presentations about IHL to university students and legal professionals
- Several staff and volunteer IHL presentations
Has your State/National Society/Institution been working with other partners to implement the commitments contained in this resolution?
YesPartner with:
Government and/or public authorities
ICRC/IFRC
Other National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies
Humanitarian and development partners (e.g. UN, NGOs etc.)
Academia
Examples of cooperation:
In particular relation to OP3, OP8, and OP10:
In 2019 and 2023 Irish Red Cross organised an IHL Conference in Dublin as a key event for stakeholders within this resolution. These events brought together those from all of the above partners, as well as others with an interest in IHL (including legal professionals), to discuss contemporary issues within IHL. It previously consisted of a keynote speech, panel discussions and a roundtable discussion. This is planned to continue as an annual event into the future.
The Corn Adomnáin IHL Competition is another such example of coordination. This competition is organised with support of academic partners and the Department of Foreign Affairs, for teams consisting of university students, legal trainees and the Irish Defence Forces Cadet School. This event is also supported by partners from other government Departments, members of the Irish Defence Forces, members of the judiciary, as well as colleagues from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, all of whom act as judges for the competition and who feed into the development of materials. The competition employs innovative methods including a live video game scenario requiring participants to advise a military mission in real time of their IHL obligations.
Have you encountered any challenges in implementing the commitments contained in this resolution?
YesWith challenges on:
Human resources
Competing priorities
Lack of capacity and/or support (technical, financial, or other)
Details about challenges:
Irish Red Cross did not have a full-time dedicated staff member for implementation of this resolution for a part of the implementation period. One staff member was recruited in 2021 on a part-time basis, which has become full time as of 2024. While this has assisted in better implementation of the resolution, this remains within the context of a small international team with competing priorities and limited resources. In addition, Covid-19 restrictions hampered the organising of IHL-related activities and key events for a period of almost two years.
Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the work and direction of your State/National Society/Institution?
YesType of Impact:
Cooperation between Government/public authorities and National Society has been strengthened
Innovative tools/methodologies have been developed and are utilized
Increase in mobilization of resources
Training and capacity of staff and volunteers has increased (for National Societies)
Details about the impact:
The commitments under this resolution have helped to increase the development of Irish Red Cross’ IHL programme, including through dedicated human resources and forms an important basis for continued cooperation between key partners.