Model Laws of IPA CIS Presented at Seminar on Implementation of International Humanitarian Law

Eighth Regional Seminar on Implementation of International Humanitarian Law was held in Tashkent, organized by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), bringing together representatives of state bodies, international and parliamentary structures, as well as IHL experts from Eastern Europe, Central Asia and CIS Member Nations.

In her opening address, Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation in Central Asia Biljana Milosevic stressed that "IHL is at crossroads, perhaps more than ever" - and noted that, despite global consensus on the Geneva Conventions, compliance with even basic humanitarian norms in modern conflict zones remains shockingly insufficient.

Representatives of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States took part in the seminar. Among them, Advisor of the Department for International Relations Nadezhda Kulish presented the IPA CIS Model Law on Missing Persons and spoke about cooperation between the Assembly and the ICRC on implementing IHL norms.

Consultant of the Department for International Relations Anastasia Kozlova delivered a report titled "Protection of the Emblem: CIS Model Legislation", presenting Model laws adopted by the IPA CIS concerning use and protection of the emblems of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, their designations and distinctive signals - essential for identifying medical formations and sanitary-transport vehicles.

The seminar programme included sessions of national IHL committees. Delegates from ministries of foreign affairs, justice, defence, border agencies, scientific organisations and national IHL committees from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - as well as regional organisations - participated in the event, exchanging experiences and best practices from 2023-2025.

Participants reaffirmed strong commitment of the region's states to developing humanitarian legislation, sharing experience and strengthening international cooperation. They emphasised growing role of parliamentary structures of CIS in advancing legal norms and principles of international humanitarian law.