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

  1. Has your State/National Society/Institution incorporated the commitments contained in this resolution into the relevant strategic or operational plans?

    Yes

    The commitments are incorporated into:
    Strategy
    Policy
    Operational plan

    At the National level

    Explanation:

    Respect for international law, including IHL is one of the priorities of the Slovenian Foreign Policy. Slovenia promotes dissemination and respect for IHL at the domestic level through regular consultations between the Slovenian and German IHL committees. In 2021, the experts of the ICRC significantly enriched these consultations with their expertise. Doctors without Borders joined the discussion for the first time. The consultations were held in accordance with the resolution adopted at the 33rd Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent titled “Bringing IHL Home” and addressed contemporary IHL issues. These issues were: attacks against medical and humanitarian personnel, challenges of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission and the UN Human Rights Committee, protection of media professionals in armed conflicts and spreading of IHL knowledge at the domestic level. On 16 and 17 November 2021, during its presidency of the EU Council, Slovenia organised regional consultations for the first time, under the resolution “Bringing IHL Home.” These consultations brought together the Slovenian, Austrian, Dutch, French and German IHL committees and the MFA of Portugal. Dr Helen Durham, Director of International Law and Policy of ICRC, was a keynote speaker. The chairpersons of the five national IHL committees compared the mandates, tasks, composition and challenges of their committees. The committees exchanged good practices, experiences and lessons learned. The second panel addressed the topics of climate change and armed conflicts from the political, scientific and humanitarian perspectives. The final panel focused on the protection of the environment during and after armed conflicts. The panellists underlined that the environment is often directly attacked or incidentally affected in the course of military operations. The environmental consequences of armed conflicts can contribute to climate change. The regional legal adviser of the ICRC underlined the aim and main elements of the ICRC updated Guidelines on the Protection of the Natural Environment in Armed Conflict.

  2. Has your State/National Society/Institution been working with other partners to implement the commitments contained in this resolution?

    Yes

    Partner with:
    National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in your country
    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 the implementation process of the commitments contained in this resolution Slovenia has been closely working with the ICRC, Doctors with Borders, the Austrian, Dutch, French and German IHL national committees and the MFA of Portugal. At the domestic level all stakeholders of the Slovenian national IHL committee, such as representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs, defence, interior, health, culture and justice, further academia, the Slovenian Red Cross Society and the Peacekeeping Operations Training Centre (POTC) have been deeply engaged in the implementation of this resolution.

  3. Have you encountered any challenges in implementing the commitments contained in this resolution?

    Yes

    Details about challenges:

    During the Covid-19 pandemic, Slovenia organised two international events, one in May 2021 and the other in November 2021 in online form. Special attention was dedicated to technical aspects of the two events.

  4. Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the work and direction of your State/National Society/Institution?

    Yes

    Type of Impact:
    Cooperation between Government/public authorities and National Society has been strengthened
    Programming and operations have become more effective and efficient
    Partnerships with other humanitarian actors have been created or enhanced

    Details about the impact:

    The Slovenian national IHL committee proposed that the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport revive the international education programme Exploring Humanitarian Law. This programme introduces young people between 13 and 18 years of age to the basic rules and principles of international humanitarian law. By organising these international events the Slovenian IHL committee has enhanced its visibility. Slovenia has also reaffirmed its deep commitment to IHL.

  5. Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the communities that your State/National Society/Institution serves?

    No
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