More than 30 participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka participated in the South Asia Teaching Session (SATS) which was held in Colombo, 3- 8 December. This bi-annual regional event, organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an opportunity for academics, civil society, military officers, government authorities and staff from the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to come together to learn about International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and share views on a range of related areas.

During the six days, delegates learnt about the basic principles of IHL, prisoners of war, sexual violence and armed conflict, transitional justice, protection of children during armed conflict, means and methods of warfare and peacekeeping. The weeklong event was completed with a review test, which included questions relating to topics addressed during the session.

This year, the resource persons comprised members from diverse backgrounds from the South Asian region. ICRC legal advisers also played a crucial role in facilitating discussion on current topics, with a view to conveying the ICRC’s institutional position on key issues.