In 2024, the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions presents a pivotal opportunity to reaffirm the crucial role of international humanitarian law (IHL) in preventing and mitigating the horrors of war. This milestone emphasizes the importance of IHL, advocating for enhanced implementation and stronger compliance to contribute to a peace-conducive environment. Upholding it can also foster a more peaceful environment.
Colombia, enduring a history of complex and lengthy armed conflicts, is recognized for its significant contributions to the development and practical implementation of IHL. In 2016, the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC-EP) signed a historic peace agreement which includes IHL obligations relating to the missing persons, weapon contamination, and child recruitment. In 2022, the current government established a policy known as Total Peace, which aims to achieve stable and lasting peace while ensuring non-repetition and security for all Colombians. This policy emphasizes avoiding impunity and upholding the rights of victims to truth, justice, and reparation. It seeks to significantly reduce conflicts and violence by engaging in simultaneous peace negotiations with various non-State armed groups.
The ICRC, with its mandate enshrined in IHL and the Geneva Conventions, strives to protect and assist people affected by armed conflicts. The ICRC also promotes IHL as a global political priority, thus reinforcing the consensus surrounding the rules applicable to armed conflicts, as well as the limits imposed on the means and methods of warfare. In Colombia, the ICRC has played a key role and continues to do so as a first-hand witness to more than six decades of conflicts. Since its arrival in 1969, the ICRC has been making the case for the need to ensure respect for basic standards of humanity and prevent violations of IHL, thanks to its unique role as a protection actor and neutral intermediary by gaining the trust of the actors involved in the armed conflicts and of those who have suffered its effects.
Hosted by the ICRC at its headquarters in Geneva, this hybrid event will be a unique opportunity to reaffirm the importance of IHL today in the context of the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions and their relationship to peace. It will also present the case of Colombia, a context that has contributed significantly to the development and practical implementation of IHL and where efforts have been and are being made to build peace and trust between the parties to the conflicts.
- International sign language interpretation will be provided at this event. -