The ECOWAS Commission alongside member states and the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday converged in Abuja to review action plan for the effective implementation of the International Humanitarian Law across West Africa.
The review was a follow up to the new International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Plan of Action 2019 to 2023 which was validated by member states in 2018.
Dr Siga Jagne, Commissioner, Social Affairs and Gender, ECOWAS Commission said that in 2009, ECOWAS and ICRC developed a Plan of Action on implementation of IHL in West Africa.
She explained that the plan set out targets for member states in relation to the ratification and accession to International Treaties and translation into legislative frameworks.
Jagne said that the 2019 review meeting which also serves as a capacity building workshop would focus on key themes which include Sexual Violence and Protection of Vulnerable populations and sexual violence in detention.
She listed other priority themes to be discussed to include conditions of detention and detention in non-international armed conflict.
She said that the meeting would seek to discuss ECOWAS’ contributions to the Draft Resolutions ahead of the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent scheduled to hold in Geneva in December.
“Our collaboration with ICRC in the area of International Humanitarian Law holds important implications for our collective aspiration for Peace and Security in the region.
“We will continue to reiterate that IHL is an extension of the notion of the Rule of Law to situations of armed conflicts with salutary and subsisting effects.
“On the general posture of populations and actors with respect to rule of law (extending well beyond subsisting hostilities), this it is closely linked to International Human Rights Law (IHRL)”, she said.
According to her, basic operational priorities going forward will deal with further elaboration of the joint programming between ECOWAS and ICRC and the coordination of the work of the Commission around IHL and IHRL.
Other priorities will focus on ensuring coordination at the level of member states between in-country ICRC teams, member states’ functionaries and ECOWAS Special Representatives and strengthening Regional Reporting System.
“We will in collaboration with ICRC develop technical guidelines on each thematic areas in the international humanitarian law plan of action and assist in development and implementation of indicators to aid implementation,’’ Jagne said.
Also speaking, Dr. Jean Queguiner, Deputy Head of delegation, ICRC Nigeria said that over the years, ICRC and ECOWAS Commission had worked to promote international humanitarian law in the region.
Queginer said that ICRC and ECOWAS Commission had also supported member states in ratifying, domesticating, and implementing international humanitarian law treaties.
“Due to the spread of armed conflict in the sub-region, affecting many vulnerable populations, there is continued need for greater respect for the rules and norms of international humanitarian law in West Africa and beyond.
“Every year, during the international humanitarian law review meeting, Member States are encouraged to set out priorities, and work with ICRC and the ECOWAS Commission to achieve them.
“This new Plan of Action provides member states with a guide to address some of the most relevant international humanitarian law-related thematic for the region.
“These include protection of internally displaced persons, Counter –terrorism, IHL dissemination to armed forces, and sexual violence in armed conflicts, among others,” Queginer said.
Queginer urged member states to learn from each other, grow together, to ensure that the same problems are not being discussed in the next 10, 20 or 30 years.
In his remarks, Amb. Babatunde Nurudeen, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the ECOWAS Commission said that the annual meeting created an avenue for measures to be put in place to address challenges confronting the region.
He said that putting in place humanitarian law and making it up to date would help protect citizens especially in a region constantly bedeviled with violence and uprisings.
Nurudeen said that such unwelcome instances often created dire humanitarian problems in diverse forms within member states.
“Nigeria on its part has taken various steps toward the implementation of International Humanitarian Law Treaties.
“These steps are in terms of protection of children in armed conflicts, combating sexual violence in armed conflict, arms control, and use of security forces,” Nurudeen said
