South Africa: 22nd Annual Regional Seminar on IHL
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) co-hosted in Pretoria, the 22nd Annual Regional Seminar on the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Island States from the 21st to the 24th of November 2023.
Theme of the 22nd Seminar
“Implementation and development of IHL: The Role of Southern Africa in the development of IHL”, the Seminar provided an opportunity to discuss modern technologies in warfare and emerging issues such as the impact of Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS) and the impact of digital threats on civilians during armed conflict.
Senior officials from DIRCO, led by Deputy Minister, Alvin Botes, attended the Seminar.
In his opening remarks, Head of the ICRC Pretoria Regional Delegation, Jules Amoti, called on States to reflect on the importance of the implementation of IHL at the domestic level through National IHL committees. These committees play a key role for the implementation and domestication of IHL at State level, and their important role can never be overstated.
Government representatives of Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, and Zambia, took part in that week-long Seminar.
Digital Dilemmas, a multi-media initiative developed by the ICRC was featured during the Seminar, offering an immerse experience in an armed conflict situation, and the participants reflected on the impact of new technology and the importance of data protection.
The Seminar adopted an Outcomes’ Document, the content of which comprises a set of concrete commitments by States’ representatives present in the room.
