children and armed conflict, protecting education facilities from attack, protecting humanitarian and medical workers during armed conflicts, protecting civilian infrastructure) advocacy for compliance with IHL in specific armed conflicts.advocacy in support of IHL through multilateral forums, dedicated public events (e.g., European Humanitarian Forum), and dialogue with other donors and partner organisations.The European Commission, through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (ECHO), promotes the global compliance with IHL and humanitarian principles in general.Įxamples of activities which the European Commission supports are:

Every year since then, the EU has continued to publish such reports. In 2018, it published an initial report on how they were being implemented, highlighting the wide-ranging measures the EU carries out in support of IHL. In 2009, the EU issued guidelines on promoting compliance with IHL. It stresses how important it is for the EU to continue to put the promotion and application of IHL consistently at the heart of its external action. In March 2021, the Commission adopted a Communication on the EU's humanitarian action: new challenges, same principles. The EU also is the only regional organisation to adopt (in 2005 updated in 2009) guidelines on promoting compliance with IHL. Therefore, as one of the world’s largest humanitarian donors, the EU has always been firmly committed to promoting compliance with IHL.Īll EU countries have ratified the 4 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.

As most humanitarian action takes place in areas of armed conflicts, violations of IHL greatly hinder the EU's ability to fulfil its humanitarian aid objectives of meeting the needs of those affected, and also endanger the security of EU humanitarian partners.

Principles of law of armed conflict