The Regional Centre for Military and International Humanitarian Law located at the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM) is set to become Asia-Pacific’s first reference centre for armed forces.

Illustrative image (Source: Internet)

The centre, established via partnership between NDUM and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), aims to enhance understanding and respect for legal rules in general and the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in particular among military personnel in the region.

ICRC's Armed Forces and Security Forces Delegate for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Kirby Abbott said the centre is not only a forum for ICRC to support Malaysia’s military, but also a reference centre for improving professional knowledge and mutual understanding among regional armed forces.

Strengthening knowledge of laws, especially the IHL, as well as cooperative assistance among regional countries’ armies plays an important role in their full compliance with the IHL, he stressed.

Major Mohd Ramli Othman, director of the centre said information related to the IHL will be widely disseminated and provided for regional armed forces to promote mutual understanding among them.

A partnership agreement between ICRC and NDUM is scheduled to be signed in August.

The IHL is a set of rules which aim, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons who are not or are no longer participating in hostilities and restricts means and methods of warfare.

(Source: VNA)