The Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are jointly hosting a two-day regional seminar on “Contemporary Challenges in International Humanitarian Law (IHL) related to UN Peacekeeping Operations” on 9-10 September in New Delhi.
This seminar will be the first of its kind in the South Asia region and will bring together former as well as serving military officers and experts from across the world, some of whom have the experience of heading the UN Peacekeeping Missions, along with experts from ICRC on the subject. The speakers will share their views with the help of live case studies experienced by them during their missions.
The Regional Seminar will focus on the contemporary challenges in IHL in peacekeeping operations, role of women peacekeepers, protection of civilians and children in armed conflicts, sexual and gender based violence, application of force and rules of engagement, peacekeeping and humanitarian space, among other pertinent themes.
The participants will comprise serving military and police officers from India and 10 other south asian countries, representatives of international and UN organisations, defence think tanks, ICRC and defence attaches of various countries in India.
The significance of this Regional Seminar can be gauged from the fact that of the approximately 1,25,396 troops deployed on 16 UN missions across the world today, about 26 per cent are from South Asian countries. In fact, India is one of the top three UN troop contributing countries today with a strength of more than 8,000 Indian troops deployed on seven UN missions. Since 2005, dissemination on IHL is being undertaken by the ICRC New Delhi delegation for officers attending International and National UN courses being conducted by CUNPK at New Delhi. The ICRC also conducts a two-day dissemination programme on IHL for all Indian Army contingents proceeding for UN missions during their pre-embarkation training at New Delhi.
Follow live Tweets @ICRC_nd for more on the event on 9-10 September.
Read more on ICRC’s dissemination on IHL for UN Peacekeepers
Glimpse into the ICRC session on IHL for UN Peacekeepers
Peacekeepers Day: ICRC’s Long-standing Support on IHL Training to India