Botswana is joining more than twenty other Commonwealth States in the 3rd Meeting of Representatives of National Committees on International Humanitarian Law of Commonwealth States taking place from 17-18 October 2013 at Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. The Meeting was Officially opened by the Foreign Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, and the Official Opening was graced by the countrys President. Botswana is represented by Mr. O. Rhee Hetanang (Deputy Director, Multilateral Affairs Department). The Meeting is hosted by the Government of Trinidad & Tobago, in conjunction with the Tinidad & Tobago Red Cross Society; the British Red Cross; the Commonwealth Secretariat; the CARICOM; and the International Committee of the Red cross (ICRC). The Objectives of the Meeting are: 1. To increase the capacity, commitment and activities of Commonwealth governments in the field of IHL, through the use of their National Committees; 2. To update participants on developments in IHL and its implementation; 3. To develop best practices within the Commonwealth in IHL implementation; 4. To encourage Commonwealth Member States to share information concerning actions undertaken or planned to implement IHL obligations and to encourage further such action; 5. To promote increased contacts and cooperation among the participants; 6. To follow-up recommendations of the previous Commonwealth Red Cross and Red Crescent Conferences and Meetings on IHL (London 2003, Nairobi 2005, Wellington 2007, New Delhi 2009, Kuala Lampur 2011); and 7. To encourage those Commonwealth Member States that have not established IHL Committees to consider doing so, either on a national or a regional basis. It is important to note that, in the context of Botswana, the National IHL Committee is recognized in respect of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Treaties, Conventions and Protocols. This recognition was confirmed by the ICRC Regional Office (Pretoria), following the successful Sensitization Workshop held in Gaborone in August 2013. It has been from that development that Botswana received the invitation to participate, for the first time, at the Commonwealth National IHL Committees Meeting.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 10:21:27 +0000
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