| The Red Cross and an organization of parliamentarians are calling on lawmakers around the world to do more to ensure that international humanitarian law is both implemented and respected.
The joint call by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) comes on the first day of the 121st IPU Assembly, which begins in Geneva on Monday.
The Red Cross is participating in a panel discussion to mark the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions this year.
The 1949 Conventions form the cornerstone of international humanitarian law, which places limits on how war is waged.
IPU President, Theo-Ben Gurirab of Namibia says that law makers, have a responsibility to the victims of armed conflict to draft and implement legislation that ensures the rules of war are applied at a national level.
He adds that while legal measures are key, parliamentarians must also breathe life into these rules by using their political influence to spread knowledge of international humanitarian law.
He says law makers must convince government leaders of the absolute need to ensure that civilians are protected during armed conflicts and that the perpetrators of war crimes are held to account for their actions.
Earlier this year, the Red Cross carried out a survey, which showed that the vast majority of people in war-affected countries believed that wars should have limits.
However, far fewer respondents thought that that the Geneva Conventions are effective in limiting the suffering of civilians. |
