The Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) in Gujarat — an institution of national importance in India — and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Delegation in New Delhi on Thursday, 10 December 2020 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on academics, research, training, capacity building and extension activities.
Through this collaboration, the RRU and ICRC aim to generate awareness, know-how and create specialised human resource for security, strategy, capacity building and R&D expertise. The ICRC and RRU will provide a platform where strategists, government representatives, industry experts and practitioners will articulate concerns, and academic and research requirements that require deeper attention of the global community.
Yahia Alibi, Head of the Regional Delegation of the ICRC in New Delhi, and Maj Gen (retd.) Sajiv Jetley, Head of the Armed Forces Unit, ICRC New Delhi, attend the online MoU signing ceremony. ©ICRC, Ashish Bhatia
Speaking at the virtual signing of the MoU, Yahia Alibi, Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation, said, “The RRU is an institution of great eminence in India and the ICRC hopes this platform will bring together policy experts, decision-makers and stakeholders from the country and beyond to address current global issues and challenges that require sustained attention and deeper engagement. This strong partnership will give us an opportunity to learn from the many stakeholders in this initiative.” He added, “This comes at a time when India is continuing to take on an important role on the global stage – including the UN Security Council seat. I have no doubt the RRU’s work will contribute towards this.”
Commenting on the MoU, Professor (Dr) Bimal N Patel, Vice Chancellor, Rashtriya Raksha University, said, “The ICRC has decades of experience, expertise and goodwill across the world and through this partnership, we will leverage it to work together to address major issues concerning security, defence and international humanitarian law.”
(L-R) Mr. Sushil Goswami, Dean, RRU School of Coastal, Maritime, Air and Space Security, Prof Bimal N. Patel, Vice-Chancellor, Rashtriya Raksha University and Member-National Security Advisory Board, and Mr. Digvijay Rewatkar, Project Officer, RRU, attend the virtual MoU signing ceremony.
This collaboration comes at a time when world is facing the biggest humanitarian crisis of all times. And it is in these times that the authorities and the communities – not just in India but globally – need more than ever to work collectively and in solidarity to respond to this mammoth challenge, which has affected every sphere of our lives.
The joint initiative will facilitate interaction between young minds and domain experts that will strengthen the rule of law based global order and promote humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. Through this collaboration, the ICRC and RRU aim to bring people together to pursue knowledge and reduce humanitarian suffering by continuously remaining in step with the ever-changing nature of warfare and ensuring that existing international laws remain relevant and, where necessary, new laws are evolved in line with the ICRC mandate.