Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 20
20
Rejected
Establish an independent central repository of evidence for IHL breaches against aid workers.
Recommendation
We recommend that the FCDO works with international partners to establish an independent central repository of evidence of breaches of IHL relating to the delivery of aid and attacks on aid workers. For this to be successful, the Government should undertake a consultation exercise with international and local delivery organisations, as well as UN bodies and legal experts. (Recommendation, Paragraph 45) 51
Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees with the intent but rejects leading the establishment of a new standalone central repository for evidence of IHL breaches. It prioritizes supporting existing mechanisms, such as UN and IIIM mechanisms, to prevent duplication of efforts.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Partially Agree. The UK is actively engaged in many processes to collect, preserve and analyse information and evidence relating to violations and abuses of human rights and IHL, including in support of accountability. For example, the UK provides funding to a range of UN mechanisms established by the Human Rights Council to investigate human rights and IHL violations. The UK has also been a strong supporter of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) for Syria, providing funding since 2017. The IIIM has collected evidence from multiple sources for many years, including from NGOs on the ground, and has made it available for use in criminal prosecutions. Furthermore, the UK has funded the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) since its inception in 2017, which collects evidence of violations committed by Da’esh in Iraq. The UK supports and continues to encourage further such efforts to collect, preserve and analyse information and evidence for accountability purposes globally. The UK is also a strong proponent of universal jurisdiction for the most serious crimes under international law where national authorities are unable or unwilling to act. We encourage all States to investigate and prosecute suspected perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide within their own jurisdictions, where possible. However, the UK does not agree to lead the establishment of a new standalone central repository of evidence of IHL breaches. It is the responsibility of states and international bodies to collect and preserve evidence. There are already many existing mechanisms in this space, including those we are supporting. Our priority is to continue to support those existing mechanisms to ensure that they are as effective as possible and to prevent duplication of efforts and resources.