ICRC hosted “2022 North-East, South-East Asia and the Pacific Regional Conference on IHL: Bringing IHL Home – a Focus on Weapons, Means and Methods of Warfare” in Seoul, the Republic of Korea in early November.

Seoul: 17 countries join regional IHL conference

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hosted “2022 North-East, South-East Asia and the Pacific Regional Conference on IHL: Bringing IHL Home – a Focus on Weapons, Means and Methods of Warfare” in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (ROK) in early November. The event was sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the ROK.
Article 13 December 2022 Republic of Korea

The conference, held from 2 to 4 November, aimed at creating a regional forum for states to exchange good practices, the progress they have made and the challenges encountered in the domestic implementation of international humanitarian law (IHL). The 2022 edition focused especially on the domestic implementation and universalization of weapons treaties.

Mr Park Yong Min, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of ROK, delivered a keynote speech during the opening ceremony. Opening remarks were also shared by Mr Hong Seung-in, Deputy Director-General for International Legal Affairs Bureau, ROK MFA, and Ms Jamila Hammami, ICRC head of mission in Seoul. Mr Lee Sang Cheon, secretary-general of the Republic of Korea National Red Cross, shared a congratulatory remark, while Mr Nils Melzer, ICRC director of International Law, Policy & Humanitarian Diplomacy, shared a video-recorded address.

Over 35 state officials from 17 countries in the region participated in the three-day conference and shared their experiences in nine thematic sessions. The discussions among legal experts and state representatives touched upon the "Bringing IHL Home" Resolution adopted at 2019 International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Related thematic sessions on the human cost of weapons, arms transfer, maritime warfare and urban warfare, including the use of heavy explosive weapons in densely populated areas, were also conducted.

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