Malaysia opens first-ever regional centre for military and international humanitarian law

Kuala Lumpur (ICRC/NDUM) – The Malaysian deputy minister of defence launched the first-ever regional centre for Military and International Humanitarian Law. Hosted on the campus of the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM) in Kuala Lumpur, the centre will be run in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Speaking during the ceremony at the NDUM, deputy minister of defence Yang Berhormat Dato' Sri Mohd Johari bin Baharum commended both organizations for their strategic collaboration.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the two organizations earlier by ICRC head of regional delegation in Kuala Lumpur Isabelle Barras and NDUM vice-chancellor general Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Panglima Hj Zulkifli bin Hj Zainal Abidin. This initiative aims to promote and disseminate knowledge of military law and international humanitarian law (IHL) among the Malaysian Armed Forces and the region’s wider military and legal communities.

Deputy minister of defence Dato' Mohd Johari applauded the collaboration and said he hoped it would be the first of many such initiatives in South-East Asia. He was confident that the centre would greatly contribute to the efforts of the region’s militaries as they sought to uphold, develop and promote the rule of law in their operations.

ICRC regional director for Asia and the Pacific, Boris Michel, spoke of the organization’s role and mandate to promote and foster compliance with IHL globally: “Centres like these are precisely what we need to help us carry out this part of our mandate, and we are grateful to the NDUM and the Malaysian Armed Forces for this collaboration. It is our hope that the centre will be a platform for not only strengthening indigenous IHL expertise but also hosting conferences, workshops and seminars to bolster the understanding of, respect for and implementation of military and humanitarian law.”

For further information, please contact:

Shuhaimah binti Saedon, NDUM, tel: 03-90513400
Chin Lili, ICRC, tel: 03-20841800