The Arab League Council, at the ministerial level during its 163rd regular session held at the League’s headquarters in Cairo, approved in principle Qatar’s proposal to establish a permanent Arab Committee for International Humanitarian Law, based on a mandate issued by the concerned Arab committees.
The decision is an extension of collective efforts that began during the twelfth meeting of the Arab national committees for international humanitarian law, hosted by Qatar in 2023.
Qatar’s proposal followed up on the outcomes of the Doha 2023 meeting, during which the Arab national committees, the Legal Affairs Department of the Arab League, and the International Committee of the Red Cross agreed to draft a foundational project for the committee, aiming to coordinate Arab efforts to enhance respect for and application of international humanitarian law.
According to H.E. Mr. Ibrahim bin Ali Al-Mohannadi, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, the proposal was prepared based on national directives emphasizing the promotion of compliance with international humanitarian law at both national and Arab levels, in response to the challenges posed by ongoing armed conflicts and related violations in the region.
H.E. Mr. Saeed bin Abdullah Al-Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice and Chairman of the National Committee for International Humanitarian Law, further noted that the proposal’s formulation was based on the 1999 Cairo Declaration, which called for establishing national and regional mechanisms to enhance the implementation of international humanitarian law.
The proposed project includes forming a committee composed of representatives from Arab national committees, and defining its mandate to provide legal and technical support, promote the dissemination of international humanitarian law culture in Arab countries, and monitor relevant regional developments.
The ministerial-level approval decision came after a series of meetings and coordination discussions between the Qatari National Committee and the Department of Treaties and Agreements at the Arab League, as well as communication with the International Committee of the Red Cross, aiming to develop a sustainable working mechanism for the proposed committee.
The approval to establish a Permanent Arab Committee for International Humanitarian Law resulted from the continued implementation of the twelfth meeting’s recommendations and the recognized need to develop collective Arab mechanisms to support compliance with international humanitarian law principles, amid ongoing armed conflicts and their associated humanitarian and legal challenges in the region.
