Written question asked by Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 30 November 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 December 2021. It was answered by James Cleverly (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 December 2021 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Training

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) training and (b) awareness raising (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in her Department receive on their obligations under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 and subsequent legislation not to commit, aid, abet or procure the commission by any other person of a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions.

Answer: The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are at the core of international humanitarian law (IHL). FCDO staff undertake training through the International Academy which includes modules on the Conventions and other aspects of IHL. More detailed training is available for those who work in this field. Additionally the FCDO undertook to produce a voluntary report on the domestic implementation of IHL, including the Conventions. This report was published on GOV.UK in 2019 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/implementation-of-international-humanitarian-law-at-domestic-level-voluntary-report. In response to a pledge made at the International Committee of the Red Cross Quadrennial Conference, the UK is promoting and assisting other states to produce similar reports, in conjunction with the British Red Cross, and have produced a toolkit in several languages to assist them to do so. In 2019 the UK hosted a conference at Lancaster House to mark 70 years of the Conventions and to address the challenges to compliance.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 84317
Session: 2021-22
Subjects: Geneva Conventions Training Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Legislation: Geneva Conventions Act 1957
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk