Representatives from 16 southern African countries gathered in South Africa from 18 to 21 August 2015 for the 15th Annual Regional International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Seminar, co-hosted by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the ICRC. Participants reflected on the challenges of implementation of and compliance with IHL under the theme – The Power of Humanity: International Humanitarian Law in Action.
They also considered special themes relating to the upcoming International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent which brings together all signatories of the Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols as well as the Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement every four years. This year it brought together government representatives from Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Representatives of the African Union Commission, the SADC Secretariat and the Pan African Parliament were also in attendance.