'Respect humanitarian law to ease suffering of war victims'

Abu Dhabi - The UAE has always been keen on respecting international humanitarian laws, among other laws.

Humanitarian efforts are not going as smoothly as they should in today's war-torn areas, and a top official from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said such a challenge stems from a lack of respect for the international humanitarian law.
Sophie Barbey, head of the ICRC's UAE mission, told Khaleej Times that cyber-warfare, the multiplication of factors of conflicts and the regionalisation of a conflict situation are just some of factors that challenge the international humanitarian law - thus making humanitarian work difficult.
"No country is immune to conflicts," she said on the sidelines of the second edition of the conference on International Humanitarian Law, which kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Monday (April 8).
"Nations need to work together to enforce the international humanitarian law and ensure that no one violates the law as this would help reduce conflicts and also ease humanitarian efforts in war-torn areas.
"When a country rectifies an international treaty, it's extremely important that the treaty is translated into a national law, so that it moves from the top and down to the military officers. Then, military officers should be able to understand their responsibilities, their rights and also their duties."
Barbey added that there is a need for nations to implement the standard procedures of the army through training platforms and enforce mechanisms of such sanctions whenever a breach of the law takes place.
Respecting and implementing the international humanitarian law requires a combined global effort from different partners and actors from the country to the region and, then, across the world, she said.
Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Jarman, Assistant Minister for Human Rights and International Law of the UAE and Chairman of the UAE's International Humanitarian Law National Committee, said that if nations are finding it hard to prevent wars or conflicts, then there needs to be a collective action to address the consequences of conflicts through humanitarian aid.
Victims of war should be fed and necessary treatments should be provided. Homes should be rebuilt, and children should continue to be educated, Al Jarman said during his keynote speech at the conference.
"It's a good thing that we fight hard to avoid wars and conflicts through the adoption of the international humanitarian law," he said. "Wars have diverse effects on people and economies."
Al Jarman said the UAE has always been keen on respecting international humanitarian laws, among other laws.
Part of the action plan for the UAE National Committee of International Humanitarian Law for the year 2019-2020 is to raise people's awareness of humanitarian law by conducting workshops and field visits and holding seminars in universities.
"The committee is also planning introductory courses on the law and the role of the ICRC in armed conflict zones for those enlisted in the national service," said Al Jarman.
The two-day conference was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the National Commission on International Humanitarian Law, in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
KT NANO EDIT
Laws and guidelines
Laws serve as norms of conduct for citizens. They, in fact, facilitate the smooth functioning of nations and its governments. Such laws become more crucial in areas of armed conflict. A set of rules, which limits the effects of armed conflict and restricts the methods and means of warfare, becomes vital - since no country is immune to such conflicts.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Abu Dhabi