Speaking before the members of the Spanish Commission on International Humanitarian Law (CEDIH), which held its sixth meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Albares recalled the need for international humanitarian law to be respected in relation to the situation in Gaza, as well as the need to protect the civilian population and allow access for humanitarian aid.
In his speech, the Minister also referred to the commitment to the fight against impunity and to international criminal justice. He recalled the requests that had been made to the Prosecutor’s Office of the International Criminal Court to investigate the commission of possible war crimes during the Russian aggression against Ukraine and in the death of the Spanish aid worker Emma Igual, who was hit by a Russian missile while carrying out her humanitarian work in Ukraine.
Albares also referred to the main priorities on the Commission's agenda: the protection of medical missions in conflict, in anticipation to the meeting of the International Red Cross Committee major donors group to be held at the Ministry's headquarters in June; the protection of education in conflict situations; and the increasing use of starvation as a weapon of war.
Today's meeting also enabled the creation of a Working Group for the Monitoring of the Humanitarian Diplomacy Strategy, which will review the compliance of the Action Plans.
The Spanish Commission on International Humanitarian Law was created in 2007 as a national mechanism for coordination and consultation on the application and dissemination of International Humanitarian Law. It is chaired by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.