THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on Monday opened Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Makati City.
With the theme “Galvanising Commitment to International Humanitarian Law: Challenges and Opportunities in the Asia Pacific Region,” the convention gathered together delegates from at least 30 countries in the region.
“The Philippines plays a vital role in the global IHL initiative because the Philippines’ geo-statistical location places it in both precarious situation and at a dangerous position. We are in the best position to uphold international law, including IHL, and strengthen partnerships and foster collaboration among like-minded partners,” Defense Undersecretary Irineo Espino said in his opening remarks.
Judge Raul Pangalangan , a former judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a Permanent Court of Arbitration member, also noted that Asia was previously the least represented in the ICC.
“More than 10 years ago, when I joined the ICC, one of the biggest criticisms of the court was that all of its defendants came from only one place, Africa. It really looked bad. It was difficult to defend the court. The optics were terrible. Mercifully, today, a decade afterwards, things have changed. The ICC, in fact, has cases from all over the world,” Pagalangan said.
He also noted the two cases in Asia handled by the ICC, specifically in Myanmar and the Philippines.
“But this lecture is not about the (former President Rodrigo) Duterte case. Rather, it is about the lack of Asian participation in the ICC, a court established to end impunity and to punish war crimes and crimes against humanity—the very evils that this conference aims to deter and prevent,” he added.
Out of 53 Asian states, only 19 are members of the ICC. The Philippines is one of only three ASEAN member-states with a dedicated National IHL Committee.
In September 2024, Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and South Africa and the ICRC launched the Global Initiative to galvanize political commitment to international humanitarian law.
The conference in Makati, to be held from Aug. 11-14, aims to follow up on resolutions from the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, as well as consult on the Global Initiative to galvanize political commitment to IHL.
The event also features as speakers Johannes Bruwer, head of the ICRC delegation, and DFA Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa Almojuela.
