ASTANA – Kazakhstan has called for stronger national mechanisms to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL), stressing that efforts to protect civilians must begin long before armed conflicts break out. Kazakhstan has called for stronger national mechanisms to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.Photo credit: MFA.
The position was presented by Kazakhstan’s delegation at the Global Dialogue on International Humanitarian Law, held in Geneva and organized by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), reported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ press service.
The delegation was led by Kazakhstan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva Erzhan Kazykhan. The dialogue brought together representatives of more than 100 countries, international and humanitarian organizations, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations.
It was held as part of the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitment to International Humanitarian Law. In its statement, the Kazakh delegation emphasized that respect for international humanitarian law should be promoted not only during armed conflicts but also in advance.
This requires strengthening national mechanisms for implementing IHL, incorporating its rules into military training and instructions, and raising awareness among public authorities and military personnel. Discussions focused on practical recommendations developed under the Global Initiative’s seven thematic workstreams to improve compliance with existing humanitarian law.
Participants addressed the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure, as well as risks associated with the use of new technologies in armed conflicts. The next major milestone will be the High-Level Conference on Humanity in War, scheduled for Dec. 7 in Amman, Jordan.
The conference is expected to secure high-level political support for the understandings reached through the initiative and encourage concrete action by states to uphold international humanitarian law.