Strengthening protection for victims of armed conflict in a world of complex crises will be the central theme of a four-day conference in Canberra from 20-23 July, co-hosted by the Australian Government, Australian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The Fourth Commonwealth Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) gathers government officials and Red Cross and Red Crescent representatives from more than 35 Commonwealth nations.
Given the devastating impact of armed conflicts around the world, this event serves as an important opportunity for States to recall and reinforce the value of the laws of war and principled humanitarian action.
Drawing on the shared legal traditions of the Commonwealth, the conference also gives governments and their National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies a platform to share experiences on domestic implementation of IHL.
Crucially, participants will have a chance to exchange perspectives on the current challenges for IHL. Issues such as new means and methods of warfare, fighting in urban areas, the fragmentation of armed groups, and suffering as a result of sexual violence, and attacks on health care workers will be among the topics discussed. With violations of the rules of war continuing to take place globally, another critical issue on the agenda will be compliance with IHL.
Importantly, the Commonwealth Conference features topics and themes that will be discussed on the agenda of the 32nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which will take place from 8 to 10 December 2015, in Geneva.
The event is supported by British Red Cross and the Commonwealth Secretariat.