Ekaterina Zaharieva launches National Committee on International Humanitarian Law
22 April 2019 News
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva opened the first session of the National Committee on International Humanitarian Law that had been established earlier this year.
‘I am happy that Bulgaria has already joined the ranks of the 112 countries worldwide and 20 EU Member States that have such national committees,’ said Minister Zaharieva in her address to the participants.
The Committee is established as an advisory body to the Council of Ministers that will coordinate the efforts of individual Bulgarian agencies and non-governmental organizations and will assist in the formulation of national policies in that area.
‘There is no better timing for such an initiative than 2019, the year in which the world marks the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Geneva Conventions. Meanwhile, in the coming months the International Movement of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent will be holding its 33rd international conference, which is convened once every 4 years,’ Minister Zaharieva pointed out. She went on to say that today, 70 years after the adoption of the Geneva Conventions, armed conflicts around the world are regrettably on the rise, so that more and more people are in need of international humanitarian assistance.
‘I hope that this committee will not become yet another hollow initiative; rather, I wish that through the decisions of its expert group it will make a thorough review of Bulgaria’s legislative and statutory frameworks and will make the relevant recommendations to the respective institutions,’ underscored the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister. She called upon the members of the committee to seize the moment to give publicity to the Bulgarian example in international humanitarian law, including through the work of Bulgarian representatives in international organizations.
Among the resolutions adopted at the first meeting was the one urging Bulgaria to accede to the 2017 Political Declaration on the protection of medical personnel and medical assistance provided in conflict situations (in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2286 (2016)). The document was sponsored by France. To date, 39 countries have expressed support for the declaration, of which 21 are EU Member States.
National committees on international humanitarian law operate in 112 countries worldwide, including 20 out of the 28 EU Member States. Their core function is to assist the Member States in the implementation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocols to them. The International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva recommends and promotes the creation of national committees active in the area of international humanitarian law, whereas the decision to establish such committees, their format and composition are determined at the sole discretion of the government of the relevant country.
The Bulgarian National Committee comprises representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the respective deputy ministers of the competent ministries, the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers, the State Agency for Child Protection and the Bulgarian Red Cross.
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