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Report from the field: dialogue on the protection of civilians with one the main armed actors in Iraq, the Popular Mobilization Forces
Since January 2016, Geneva Call has been engaging in a humanitarian dialogue with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) on the protection of civilians. With more than 100 000 fighters, the PMF is one of the main fighting forces active in Iraq.
“Although they already have rules in place to protect civilian populations, in particular the 20 rules issued by Ayatollah Sistani in the “Advice and Guidance to Fighters in the Battlefield“, their respect can and must be improved” says Mehmet Balci, Geneva Call’s Head of Region for the Middle East.
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Syria: senior commanders of 8 Free Syrian Army brigades meet in Geneva to discuss how to better protect children during conflict
Geneva Call held a workshop with commanders of 8 brigades of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to discuss the laws of armed conflict with a focus on the issues of child recruitment and protection of education in armed conflict.
This meeting occurred between 15th and 17th of February in Geneva. The participants included senior commanders, and political and legal advisers from the FSA brigades active in Hama, Idlib, Aleppo and Eastern Ghouta. Their forces are estimated to more than 20’000 combatants.
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Lebanon: Geneva Call organizes a roundtable on the protection of children at risk to be recruited by armed actors
On 1st February 2017, Geneva Call held a roundtable on the protection of children in armed conflict in partnership with the Permanent Peace Movement – a Lebanese non-governmental organization. This meeting was an attempt to reinitiate the ratification process of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC) by the Lebanese parliament.
The roundtable gathered 26 participants, among which, members of the concerned parliamentary committees, the Ministry of Social Affairs, representatives from the Lebanese army, UNICEF, Save the Children, and other concerned Civil Society Organizations. Youth representatives of various political parties – simultaneously future leaders of Lebanon and the youth at risk – attended the event as observers.
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Colombia: Geneva Call meets the ELN peace talk delegation in Quito
On 11th March, Geneva Call met with the peace delegation of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Quito, Ecuador. This meeting provided a space to discuss possible humanitarian agreements between the parties, in particular the facilitation of demining in areas where the ELN is operating and child protection in the context of the armed conflict, including of children linked to the ELN. Additional meetings and workshops are planned on these topics in the near future. Geneva Call also met with representatives of the Colombian government, including members of the peace delegation, in Bogota.
Geneva Call has been in dialogue with the ELN since 2003 and played a key role on the landmine issue in the previous peace process between the ELN and the Colombian government between 2004 and 2007.
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Creation of the Alexander Notter Fund
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Mr. Alexander Notter joined Geneva Call’s board with a lot of enthusiasm and contributed a lot to the organization’s development and stability. Today, more than a year after he passed away, and to keep his commitment alive, we have created, with the full support of his wife and sons, the Alexander Notter fund.
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This fund will support our programmes to enhance the protection of civilian populations in war-torn countries in particular women victims of rape, child soldiers and communities affected by landmines. By supporting this fund, donors will perpetuate Alexander’s commitment towards the victims of armed conflict and give meaning to what he did for Geneva Call.
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