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South Africa: Sixth regional seminar on international humanitarian law
13-06-2006 News Release 06/42
On 12 June South African Deputy Foreign Minister Sue van der Merwe opened the sixth annual regional seminar on the implementation of international humanitarian law in Pretoria.
The purpose of the seminar, which is being hosted by the ICRC and its regional delegation in Pretoria together with the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is to move forward the process of ratification and full implementation of humanitarian law treaties at national level.
The seminar will last three days and be attended by government experts from 17 African and Indian Ocean countries (Angola, Botswana, the Comoros, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
Participants will review recent developments in humanitarian law, in particular the current status of ratification and level of implementation of international treaties, such as the Ottawa Convention banning the use of landmines, the Conventional Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention. They will examine the provisions contained in these treaties and discuss the challenges they present. Experts from the ICRC in Geneva and the Nairobi delegation will help run the seminar.
Also on the agenda is the impact of international tribunals on the region, the work of peace-keeping forces and the obligations of States under humanitarian law, especially as regards the grave issue of child soldiers. Lastly, the seminar will emphasize the significance of the upcoming 29th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which is to be held in Geneva on 20 and 21 June 2006. The final step in the search for a comprehensive and lasting solution to the emblem issue, the Conference follows the adoption in December 2005 of Additional Protocol III providing for a third emblem alongside the red cross and red crescent.
For further information, please contact:
Annemarie Watt / Camille Karangwa, ICRC Pretoria,
tel.: +27 12 430 7335 or +27 82 559 2046; fax: +27 12 430 4471
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