BRINGING IHL HOME THROUGH DOMESTIC LAW AND POLICY

Many measures have been adopted across the world, by all States, in order to give effect to Resolution 1 of the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent entitled “Bringing IHL Home: a Roadmap towards better respect for national implementation of international humanitarian law”. In this fifth edition of the Universal Meeting of National Committees and Similar Entities on IHL, the ICRC gives the floor to States and other actors, including Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies and international or regional organization, to describes the measures taken to strengthen or support the domestic implementation of IHL. This report features the contributions from many national IHL committees and similar entities across the globe on concrete outcomes that they have achieved in this respect. Among other things, these contributions address the role played by national IHL committees in encouraging and securing the ratification of or accession to IHL-related treaties by states, the drafting and adoption of national laws and policies compliant with IHL obligations, the establishment of detailed plans of action to enhance the training of domestic actors in charge of applying and interpreting the law, and the drafting of voluntary reports out-lining the progress of IHL implementation at the domestic level and identifying areas requiring further work. Furthermore, representatives from national IHL committees and similar entities provided good practices related to the following themes: - preventing people from going missing and protecting missing persons and their families - weapons, including existing weapons, new technologies and responsible arms transfers - national legislative frameworks on counter-terrorism. These topics were selected in light of current pressing humanitarian concerns and the active role that national IHL committees and similar entities can play in addressing them. It is hoped that the report and the many contributions it contains from all regions in the world will further encourage national IHL committees but also States, Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, to replicate the good practices and concrete outcomes in their own countries.