Note of the Foreign Ministry – Establishment of the National Commission for the Study of International Humanitarian Law

The National Commission for the Study and Development of International Humanitarian Law has been established by Decree. The Commission made up of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence and the Italian Red Cross, has the institutional tasks of contributing to the study of International Humanitarian Law, promoting initiatives aimed at its wider dissemination and application and facilitating coordination between the Administrations involved and civil society organisations.
The establishment of the Commission reaffirms Italy’s particular sensitivity to issues of International Humanitarian Law, in line with its long tradition of defending and safeguarding the rights and security of civilians in situations of armed conflict, with particular attention to persons belonging to the most vulnerable groups. The President and the members of the Commission, appointed based on their experience and specific skills, are called upon to enhance a particularly delicate and evolving subject that is gaining increasing importance in the international context, representing Italy also in international fora dedicated to it.