Non-traditional Illustrations of Compliance-Generation from Practice

Abstract

Widespread violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) in today's armed conflicts continues to be a critical challenge for the international community. Many actors such as United Nations agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engage with parties to conflict to promote their compliance with IHL. In this intervention, I will focus on the positive role that non-traditional actors, such as non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and their constituencies, may play in this regard. My argument draws mainly from my experience with Geneva Call, a humanitarian NGO that has been engaging NSAGs toward IHL compliance over the past twenty years.