Law of Armed Conflict Manual
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Whiteflag Protocol Specification
Whiteflag Protocol Specification Status version 1 status DRAFT 6 date 28 FEB 2019 1 1 Introduction 1.1 Background Current armed conflicts are highly complex, because of the sheer number of parties involved: regular military forces, armed groups, peacekeeping forces, neutral parties such as journalists and non-governmental human-rights and aid organisations, civilians, refugees etc. Even though parties are opposing forces, or neutral organisations that do not want to show any affiliation, they do require to quickly and directly communicate to one or more other parties involved in the conflict in different situations. This is not new. The white flag is the original internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and request for negotiation. A white flag signifies to all that an approaching negotiator is unarmed, with an intent to surrender or a desire to communicate. This standard for a digital white flag protocol, the Whiteflag Protocol, provides a reliable means for both combatant and neutral parties in conflict zones to digitally communicate pre-defined signs and signals using blockchain technology. These sign and signals can also be used to communicate information about natural and man-made disasters, thus creating shared situational awareness beyond conflicts. All in all, the protocol forms the basis for a neutral and open network, the Whiteflag Network, for trusted real-time messaging between parties in conflicts and disaster response. 1.2 Purpose The purpose of the Whiteflag Protocol is to provide an open, real-time, trusted communication channel between any or all parties in conflict and disaster zones, without the requirement for a trusted third party or any specific software or system. -
Relations with Other State Powers
THE BULLETIN The Venice Commission was requested by the Constitutional Court of Romania, currently holding the presidency of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts (CECC), to produce a working document on the topic chosen by its Circle of Presidents at the preparatory meeting in Bucharest in October 2009 for the XV th Congress of the CECC. The topic was the following: “The relations of the Constitutional Court with other state authorities. Sub-topic 1: relations between the Constitutional Court and parliament. Sub-topic 2: conflicts of competence. Sub-topic 3: the execution of judgments.” The present working document is a contribution by the Venice Commission to the success of the Congress. Constitutional courts are the independent guarantors of the constitution and their main task is to protect the supremacy of the constitution over ordinary law. Over time, however, these courts have taken on further tasks, such as safeguarding the individual against the excess of the executive or providing a safeguard against judicial errors. Another very important role of these courts is to act as a neutral arbiter in cases of conflict between state bodies. Parties to such a conflict know that they can turn to the Constitutional Court for a decision that will help them in resolving their conflict based on the constitution. The possibility of turning to the court in itself sometimes incites them to settle their disputes before they even reach the court. In order to function correctly as an effective institution that stands above the parties in such a dispute, Constitutional Courts need to be independent and need to be seen as being independent. -
80TH REGULAR SESSION March 5–10, 2012 Mexico, D.F., Mexico
80TH REGULAR SESSION OEA/Ser.Q March 5–10, 2012 CJI/doc.403//12 rev. 1 Mexico, D.F., Mexico 12 July 2012 Original: Spanish MODEL LEGISLATION ON PROTECTION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY IN THE EVENT OF ARMED CONFLICT (presented by Dr. Ana Elizabeth Villalta Vizcarra) I. MANDATE Taking into account resolution AG/RES. 2650 (XLI-O/11), adopted at the fourth plenary session, held in San Salvador, El Salvador, on June 7, 2011, of the forty-first regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), which resolution is entitled “Promotion of and Respect for International Humanitarian Law,” and which refers to the rich legacy of cultural assets in the Hemisphere recognized by UNESCO as world heritage, which would benefit from the protection systems of international humanitarian law; and that, in that resolution, the OAS General Assembly resolves, in operative paragraphs 1 and 4.d: 1. To urge the member states and the parties engaged in armed conflict to honor and fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law, including those pertaining to safeguarding the life, well-being, and dignity of protected persons and property, and the proper treatment of prisoners of war. 4. To urge the member states to adopt such legislative or other measures as may be necessary to meet their legal obligations under the treaties on international humanitarian law to which they are party, including: d. To adopt provisions to guarantee protection of cultural property from the effects of armed conflict, which may include preventive measures related to the preparation of inventories, the planning of emergency measures, and the appointment of competent authorities. -
Armed Forces
Strasbourg, 23 April 2008 CDL-AD(2008)004 Study no. 389 / 2006 Or. Engl. EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) REPORT ON THE DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF THE ARMED FORCES Adopted by the Venice Commission at its 74th Plenary Session (Venice, 14-15 March 2008) on the basis of comments by Mr Bogdan AURESCU (Substitute Member, Romania) Mr Carlos CLOSA MONTERO (Member, Spain) Mr Hubert HAENEL (Substitute Member, France) Mr Jan HELGESEN (President of the Venice Commission) Mr Ergun ÖZBUDUN (Member, Turkey) Mr Hans BORN (Expert, Netherlands) Mrs Flavia CARBONELL (Expert, Spain) This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. www.venice.coe.int CDL-AD(2008)004 - 2 - TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................ 5 REPORT ............................................................................................................................... 10 I. Introduction................................................................................................................... 10 II. The Scope of the study................................................................................................. 10 III. The necessity for the democratic control of armed forces............................................ 13 A. The domestic dimension ........................................................................................... 16 B. The international dimension ..................................................................................... -
The Tanker War and the Law of Armed Conflict (Loac)
Chapter V THE TANKER WAR AND THE LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT (LOAC) he 1980-88 Tanker War nearly ran the gamut of issues related to the law of T armed conflict (LOAC), or the law ofwar (LOW) and its component, the law of naval warfare (LONW). The general law of maritime neutrality, general issues of necessity and proportionality, and issues of specific concern-visit and search including operations against convoyed, escorted or accompanied neutral mer chant ships; commerce ofbelligerents including belligerents' convoys and contra band; acquisition of enemy character; blockade, maritime exclusion and other zones and other uses of the ocean for warfare; capture of neutral vessels; humani tarian law and belligerents' personnel interned by neutral governments; targeting of ships and aircraft including convoys; conventional weapons; mine warfare; treatment of noncombatants, e.g., merchant seamen; deception (ruses ofwar) dur ing armed conflict-all figured during the Tanker War. These are the subjects of this Chapter as they applied to belligerents and neutrals during the war. Chapter III analyzed UN Charter law with particular reference to the law of self-defense and its relationship to the law ofneutrality, the law oftreaties, custom ary law, andjus cogens-based norms, and the general principles ofneutrality as they apply to war at sea, and to conduct between neutrals and belligerents. This Chapter will not repeat that analysis, except as it interfaces with the LOAC in situations in volving neutrals, e.g., mine warfare, discussed in sub-Part G.2. Chapter IV analyzed the law of the sea, and those principles will not be repeated in here, except as LOS concepts, e.g., due regard for others' uses of the sea, 1 apply by analogy in the LOAC. -
Final Report NATO Research Fellowship Prof. Dr. Holger H
Final Report NATO Research Fellowship Prof. Dr. Holger H. Herwig The University of Calgary Aggression Contained? The Federal Republic of Germany and International Security1 Two years ago, when I first proposed this topic, I had some trepidation about its relevance to current NATO policy. Forty-eight months of work on the topic and the rush of events especially in Central and East Europe since that time have convinced me both of its timeliness and of its relevance. Germany's role in SFOR in Bosnia since 1996, the very positive deployment of the German Army (Bundeswehr) in flood-relief work along the Oder River on the German- Polish border in the summer of 1997, and even the most recent revelations of neo-Nazi activity within the ranks of the Bundeswehr, have served only to whet my appetite for the project. For, I remain convinced that the German armed forces, more than any other, can be understood only in terms of Germany's recent past and the special military culture out of which the Bundeswehr was forged. Introduction The original proposal began with a scenario that had taken place in Paris in 1994. On that 14 July, the day that France annually sets aside as a national holiday to mark its 1789 Revolution, 189 German soldiers of the 294th Tank-Grenadier Battalion along with their twenty- four iron-crossed armoured personnel carriers for the first time since 1940 had marched down the Champs-Elysées in Paris. General Helmut Willmann's men had stepped out not to the tune of "Deutschland, 1 The research for this report was made possible by a NATO Research Fellowship. -
South African Defence Review 2015
South African Defence Review 2015 S O U T H A F R I C A N D E F E N C E R E V I E W 2 0 1 5 1 DEFENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY Cabinet Statement: 20 March 2014 Cabinet approved the South African Defence Review, and directed that it be tabled in Parliament. The Review provides a long-term Defence Policy and Defence Strategic Trajectory to be pursued by the country over the next four Medium-Term Strategic Framework periods. The document will be shared with the public, as they participated in the public consultations that were held across the country in the past year. STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS: 17 June 2014 The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been a source of national pride as it participated in peacekeeping missions on the continent. This role will continue and government is looking into the resourcing of the SANDF mandate in line with the recently concluded Defence Review. To take this programme of action forward, the Deputy President and I will be meeting with Ministers and Deputy Ministers to discuss the detailed implementation plans for each department. Each Minister will sign a performance agreement with the President outlining what each department will do to deliver on the programme of action. 2 S O U T H A F R I C A N D E F E N C E R E V I E W 2 0 1 5 MINISTER OF DEFENCE & MILITARY VETERANS FOREWORD BY THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE & MILITARY VETERANS It gives me great pleasure and pride to present the South African Defence Review 2015 to the President of the Republic of South Africa, the Honourable Jacob Zuma. -
ESDP and German Contributions
ESDP and German Contributions ESDP and German Contributions Back on Earth? LCol (GS) Helmut Fritsch Centre for International Relations, Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada 2006 Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Fritsch, Helmut, 1964- ESDP & German contributions : back on earth? / Helmut Fritsch. (Martello papers ; 30) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-1-55339-098-5 ISBN-10: 1-55339-098-9 1. Germany—Military policy. 2. European Union—Military policy. 3. National security—Europe. I. Queen’s University (Kingston, Ont.). Centre for International Relations II. Title. III. Series. UA646.5.G4F74 2006 355’.033043 C2006-905737-0 © Copyright 2006 The Martello Papers The Queen’s University Centre for International Relations (QCIR) is pleased to present the latest in its series of security studies, the Martello Papers. Taking their name from the distinctive towers built during the nineteenth century to defend Kingston, Ontario, these papers cover a wide range of topics and issues relevant to contemporary international strategic relations. The European Union (EU) has long been criticized for being unable or unwilling to convert its significant economic weight into a capacity to con- tribute directly to international peace and security operations. Since the end of the Cold War, the same was often said of its largest member state, Germany, inhibited as it was by its past and by the constraints of its consti- tution. In this study, Helmut Fritsch, an officer of the Bundeswehr cur- rently posted to the Centre as a Visiting Defence Fellow, describes the emer- gence of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), sparked by an Anglo-French initiative in 1998. -
The Domestic Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine
The Domestic Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine The Domestic Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine May 2016 This document was prepared by Global Rights Compliance. Global Rights Compliance is registered as a limited liability partnership through Companies House in the United Kingdom, Partnership No. OC388087. Its registered address is Endeavour House, 78 Stafford Road, Wallington, Surrey, United Kingdom, SM6 9AY. This document is available in electronic format in English and Ukrainian at www.globalrightscompliance.com, as well as on Global Rights Compliance’s Facebook page. Disclaimer This publication was funded by the UK Government as part of the “International Criminal Court and International Humanitarian Law Reform” project implemented by Global Rights Compliance LLP. The views expressed in it are those of the author(s) and may not coincide with the official position of the UK Government. THE DOMESTIC IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW IN UKRAINE | 1 Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................ 11 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 12 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 14 Objectives and Structure of the Report ...................................................................................... -
Study on the Use of the Emblems Operational and Commercial and Other Non-Operational Issues
STUDY ON THE USE OF THE STUDY ON THE USE EMBLEMS OF THE EMBLEMS OPERATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL AND OTHER NON-OPERATIONAL ISSUES 2500 10.2011 4057/002 ICRC CASESTUD_EMBLEM couv.indd 1 13.10.11 16:46 MISSION The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC also endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. Established in 1863, the ICRC is at the origin of the Geneva Conventions and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It directs and coordinates the international activities conducted by the Movement in armed conflicts and other situations of violence. Front cover: Distinctive emblems of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement CASESTUD_EMBLEM couv.indd 2 13.10.11 16:46 STUDY ON THE USE OF THE EMBLEMS OPERATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL AND OTHER NON-OPERATIONAL ISSUES TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 9 List of abbreviations 11 Introduction 15 Objectives and methodology 15 General principles and concepts 21 PART I. RECOMMENDATIONS ON OPERATIONAL ISSUES INVOLVING THE USE OF THE EMBLEM 33 A. Use by State authorities 35 1. May the medical services of States’ armed forces party to an armed conflict temporarily change their emblem? 35 2. May the medical services of States’ armed forces use the red cross/red crescent “double emblem”? 40 3. May two different recognized emblems be displayed on sites and means of transport shared by the medical services of the armed forces of States acting in coalition? 44 4. -
9789240029354-Eng.Pdf (3.527Mb)
A GUIDANCE DOCUMENT FOR MEDICAL TEAMS RESPONDING TO HEALTH EMERGENCIES IN ARMED CONFLICTS AND OTHER INSECURE ENVIRONMENTS 1 A guidance document for medical teams responding to health emergencies in armed conflict and other insecure environments A GUIDANCE DOCUMENT FOR MEDICAL TEAMS RESPONDING TO HEALTH EMERGENCIES IN ARMED CONFLICTS (1)1 AND OTHER INSECURE ENVIRONMENTS2 1 This general expression covers confrontations between: two or more states; state and a body other than a state; a state and a dissident faction; two or more organized armed groups within a state (https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/other/opinion-paper-armed-conflict.pdf) 2 Defined as areas/regions with a heightened level of risk to personnel, facilities, patients, and operations from various types of violence. 2 3 A guidance document for medical teams responding to health emergencies in armed conflict and other insecure environments Contents A guidance document for medical teams responding to health emergencies in armed conflicts and other insecure I. FOREWORD xi environments II. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xii ISBN 978-92-4-002935-4 (electronic version) III. ABBREVIATIONS xiii ISBN 978-92-4-002936-1 (print version) IV. TABLES, FIGURES, AND EXAMPLES xv V. STRUCTURE OF THE RED BOOK 1 © World Health Organization 2021 VI. IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE BLUE BOOK AND RED BOOK 2 Some rights reserved. This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- VII. HOW TO USE THE RED BOOK 3 ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). A. WHY, WHAT, WHERE, WHO, WHEN, AND HOW? 5 Under the terms of this licence, you may copy, redistribute and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, 1. -
LAW LIBRARY -T1 (' "~ American
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