Organization of American States

Governmental Expert's Meeting on
"The Implementation of International Humanitarian Law and Related Inter-American Conventions"

San José, Costa Rica from March 6-8, 2001
Hotel Radisson Europa Zurquí

Document presented by the
Department of Legal Cooperation and Information
Secretariat for Legal Affairs
General Secretariat

January 2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTORY NOTE
Department of Legal Cooperation and Information
Secretariat of Legal Affairs, Organization of American Sates

PRELIMINARY AGENDA
Department of Legal Cooperation and Information, OAS
In collaboration with:
ICRC Advisory Services on International Humanitarian Law
International Committee of the Red Cross, Latin America

NOTICE OF INFORMATION
ICRC Advisory Services on International Humanitarian Law
International Committee of the Red Cross, Latin America

GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION
"Promotion and Respect for International Humanitarian Law"
(AG/RES. 1706 (XXX O/00)

MESSAGE BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE OAS (Spanish only)

Note: This meeting on the "Implementation of International Humanitarian Law and Related Inter-American Conventions" is an event organized by the OAS General Secretariat and the International Committee of the Red Cross, with the financial support of the Government of Canada and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

The OAS Secretary General, Dr. Cesar Gaviria, has invited the thirty-four governments of the OAS member states to participate in the Conference on the "National Implementation of International Humanitarian Law and Related Inter-American Conventions," which will be held at the Radisson Hotel in San José, Costa Rica, from March 6 to 8, 2001, with a letter dated November 29, 2000.

This conference originated by the mandates set forth in resolution AG/RES. 1706 (XXX-O/00), which was adopted by the OAS General Assembly in Windsor, Canada. It is a regional initiative sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Government of Canada, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, and the National Commission for the Improvement of the Administration of Justice of the Republic of Costa Rica, and the OAS General Secretariat.

For this event, a highly select group of government representatives from the thirty-four member states of the OAS will be reunited. Experts from organizations specialized in this field and from civil society will also participate, for the purpose of making progress in implementing, in the domestic sphere, both humanitarian law treaties and inter-American human rights conventions.

High level officials and recognized experts will make presentations, direct roundtables and workshops, and moderate discussions and debates on those fundamental issues. We hope that personalities such as the following will participate:

-Elizabeth Odio Benito, Vice-President of Costa Rica

-Dr. Jacques Forster, Vice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross

-Ambassador Margaret Escobar, El Salvador, President of the CJPA, OAS

-Dr. Michael Leir, Senior Legal Adviser, DFAIT, Canada

-Dr. Sonia Picado Sotela, Inter-American Court for Human Rights

-Dr. Cesar Gaviria, OAS Secretary General

The main objectives of the Conference are to: (a) promote the ratification and implementation of international humanitarian law (IHL) treaties and related international conventions; (b) support the efforts of the countries of the region in the development of norms and principles within their domestic legislation, by means of offering training on this issue, and (c) provide an adequate follow-up to the implementation of these international instruments and create an Inter-American Network on IHL that will facilitate the exchange of information on this topic, encourage further cooperation among members and widely diffuse the legislation that will be developed by the states on these matters.

Attached are the Preliminary Agenda outlining the themes to be discussed at the Conference and a Notice of Information providing thorough details on this event.