The Council of the Arab League at the ministerial level during its 163rd regular session, has approved the State of Qatar’s proposal to establish a permanent Arab committee on International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
HE Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi, praised the State of Qatar’s National Committee for International Humanitarian Law’s efforts in following up on the proposal and coordinating with Arab national IHL committees, as well as with the Arab League’s Legal Affairs Sector.
This effort stems from the recommendations of the regional action plan of the 12th meeting of the Arab Committees for IHL, hosted by Qatar back in 2023, which mandated Qatar’s National Committee for International Humanitarian Law, in cooperation with the Arab League and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to draft a proposal to establish a permanent Arab committee on IHL, defining its structure and responsibilities, and presenting it for approval.
HE the Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs hoped that the proposal would achieve its goal of strengthening compliance with the principles of international humanitarian law in the Arab world, especially in light of the ongoing armed conflicts and serious violations occurring in the region, as well as to promote awareness of IHL principles.
HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice and Chairman of the National Committee for International Humanitarian Law, Saeed bin Abdullah Al Suwaidi, stressed the significance of the Arab League Council’s adoption of the Qatari proposal.
Al Suwaidi added that the Qatari proposal took into account the recommendations of the 1999 Cairo Declaration, which called for greater national efforts to implement IHL in accordance with the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1977 Additional Protocols. It also aligned with the Arab governmental expert meetings on IHL, which began in 2000 and produced annual reports.
Rep.Image Via: WAM | Cropped by GBN
These meetings raised IHL awareness and increased the number of national committees. The regional action plans from each meeting culminated in the 12th session hosted in Qatar in 2023, which authorized Qatar’s National Committee for International Humanitarian Law to submit the proposal in cooperation with the Arab League and ICRC, define the structure and responsibilities of the permanent committee, and present it to the Arab committees for approval.
As for the objectives and tasks of the Arab Permanent Committee on IHL, His Excellency said that it will operate under the supervision of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level, handling issues related to IHL, coordinating joint Arab action among national IHL committees, and putting forward recommendations to ensure respect for IHL and its promotion in member states.
Al Suwaidi pointed out that the committee will act as the Arab League’s specialized body for IHL, providing advisory opinions upon the request of member states, harmonizing inter-Arab agreements with the Geneva Conventions and their protocols, as well as other international commitments of member states. The committee will also propose draft laws and carry out other duties assigned to it by the League Council, the Secretariat-General, and member states.
