IHL Training Sessions in Ouagadougou

The Regional IHL Center Desk of Diakonia in West Africa organized a capacity-building workshop for members of the Permanent Secretariat of the Interministerial Committee on Human Rights and IHL in Burkina Faso. 

This workshop, held in Ouagadougou from November 12 to 13, 2024, covered several key IHL topics, including the fundamentals of IHL, the protection of children against recruitment and use in conflicts, the safeguarding of humanitarian assistance, the interplay between IHL and human rights in conflict situations, and the principles guiding humanitarian action.

The objective of this training was to facilitate the national implementation of IHL in Burkina Faso, specifically by strengthening the commitment of members of the Permanent Secretariat of the Interministerial Committee on Human Rights and IHL to promote greater respect for this legal framework. This initiative aligns with the efforts of Diakonia’s Regional IHL Center in the Sahel to promote a protective environment in the Sahel countries, including Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. Building on similar sessions organized in Niger and Mali, this training aimed to equip national actors and institutions with enhanced knowledge of IHL, fostering sustainable change and stronger local ownership.

Discussions among participants highlighted several key points: the necessity of understanding context to apply the appropriate legal framework, the importance of recognizing the specific but complementary protections offered by IHL and human rights, adherence to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity, and independence, and the particular protection of women and children during armed conflict.

This intensive two-day training, rooted in practical case studies from the current context in Burkina Faso, combined theory with practice. It employed an interactive methodology featuring exercises, simulations, and discussions facilitated by experts from Diakonia’s Regional IHL Center in the Sahel.

Key takeaways from participants:

 “This training is very beneficial for the members of the committee as we do not all have advanced knowledge of IHL, the training has enabled us to deepen our knowledge on several issues related to IHL.”

“The Centre's initiative comes at the right time, as the members of the committee have recently changed, and this training will enable the new members to become more familiar with IHL” Permanent Secretary of the Interministerial Committee on the implementation of IHL.