Recommendation 3

HM Government Not Addressed

16. We agree that the UK must continue to draw upon all available levers including diplomatic influence, multilateral engagement, and ODA to enhance UK impact at a time of global funding cuts. 1 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65cb77caa7ded0000c79e526/ Government_response_to_the_House_of_Lords_AI_in_Weapon_Systems_Committee_ Report.pdf 17. Enhancing adherence to IHL, humanitarian access, and the protection of aid workers are urgent global challenges that no single state can solve alone. But the UK is determined to play its full part – through leadership, partnership and practical action. We’re tackling these issues at every level, using the full breadth of UK influence. 18. The UK systematically uses diplomatic tools to encourage parties to consent to humanitarian relief operations, facilitate unimpeded access, protect civilians including humanitarian aid workers, and comply with their relevant obligations under international law. We take both public and private action. 19. This includes work to strengthen global rules and commitments in partnership with other Member States, as highlighted by the committee. The UK helps to secure progress through UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) including by co-sponsoring UNSCR 2730 on the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel. In addition, the UK is an active member of global initiatives like the proposed Australian-led Political Declaration on the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel, which the UK is helping to promote, and the ICRC’s Global IHL Initiative where the UK is co-chairing one of the seven workstreams (on National IHL Committees). The UK’s role in promoting adherence to IHL (Conclusion 4, paragraph 17) The UK armed forces have a strong and proud history of supporting IHL. They have experience of operating within the spirit and letter of IHL in extremely challenging environments, and of complying with accountability mechanisms when there have been allegations against them. At a time of increasing global tensions and rising military spending, the world needs examples to follow. (Recommendation 2, paragraph 18) We recommend that the Government prioritises military-to-military training on IHL in line with the increase in defence spending. It should make full use of the range of resources it has at its disposal to support foreign militaries to understand not only their obligations under IHL, but the benefit of adherence to IHL for their own populations in a time of conflict. Government Response: Agree 20. We agree that the UK’s Armed Forces have invaluable experience of applying IHL in extremely challenging environments, that military-to-military (mil-mil) training on IHL is an effective approach to promoting compliance and that the UK military has an important role to play. 21. The United Kingdom provides specialist training on the rule of law to foreign governments and armed forces, with a focus on 3 themes: IHL, the military justice system (which is crucial to maintaining discipline and integrity), and international agreements. With the support of the British Red Cross (BRC), the United Kingdom enhances knowledge and strengthens the application of IHL, and reinforces dialogue on IHL issues. This includes promotion of the establishment of weapons reviews, encouraging discussion and effective implementation of IHL within the Commonwealth, including hosting a Commonwealth Conference on IHL compliance, and attending and contributing to the International Conferences of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. 22. Most International Defence Training courses, delivered in the UK and overseas, contain modules on IHL. The short course on ‘Managing Defence in a Wider Security Context’, which we provide to a large number of countries, has a number of IHL-related elements. The Ministry of Defence’s (MoDs) UK-based training including Initial Officer Training, courses at the Defence Academy and the programme for senior officers at the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) contain IHL modules and are attended by international officers as a part of our engagement and cooperation programmes. The FCDO has also delivered sessions on humanitarian access and protection for UK and international senior military officers, diplomats, civil servants and industry officials participating on the RCDS Global Strategy Programme. 23. Permanent and short-term military training teams run by MoD, which are a fundamental Defence Engagement offering across the globe, include IHL training as well as subject matter specific training with a view to enhancing IHL compliance. The United Kingdom also provides technical training and policy support on the integration of Human Security into Defence. This entails training on the concepts and their application and integration into military operational planning. Furthermore, the United Kingdom sponsors participants from partner countries to attend the Human Security in Military Operational Planning course at MoD Shrivenham to broaden awa