GENEVA: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Sunday (Sep 21) it will co-host a global high-level meeting next year to “uphold humanity in war”, at a time of rampant abuses of international law in conflicts.
In a joint statement alongside Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa, the ICRC urged “states and the international community to act” to rein in widespread violations of international humanitarian law.
“The world cannot stand idly as the basic tenets of international humanitarian law are routinely and deliberately being violated,” the statement said.
The ICRC launched an initiative a year ago with the six countries aimed at galvanising political support for international humanitarian law, or IHL.
“We were driven by a deep sense of responsibility and urgency to act decisively to stem the tide of violations of international humanitarian law the world is witnessing,” the Global IHL Initiative said in Sunday’s statement.
The initiative members said they planned to “co-host a global high-level meeting to uphold humanity in war in 2026”.
The statement made no mention of specific conflicts of concern, saying it “speaks to all conflicts around the world, addresses all relevant stakeholders, and seeks to ensure an even and universal application of IHL”.
