The following is abridged from an American Red Cross Northwest Region interview. Read the full interview here.
Christie Edwards, JD, LLM, is National Director of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) for the American Red Cross.
In advance of the Clara Barton International Humanitarian Law Competition, an annual event that will be held on March 12-15, 2016 in Seattle, Christie took a moment to outline how International Humanitarian Law (IHL) plays out in our daily lives, at home and around the world.
Last year, a team from the University of Ottawa won the prestigious competition. A team from the region will be representing Canada again this year.
Q: Why should we be concerned with IHL and what role do IHL and the Geneva Conventions play in our daily lives?
A: IHL impacts us all far more than we generally think about. As a starting point, almost everyone is somehow connected to someone in the military, either as a family member, friend, or colleague. IHL is intended to protect everyone, be it members of the military who have been captured, civilians caught in the crossfire, or health care workers who are delivering life-saving medical aid.
Q: What are the challenges of engaging the public and how do you overcome them?
A: The rhetoric of fear is a powerful tool, and after the attacks in Paris and California, public attitudes towards the civilians and victims of ISIL and the Syrian conflict, among many others, have not always been receptive. Since the foundation of the Geneva Conventions is to protect civilians in conflict, the efforts by the American Red Cross and our partner National Societies to provide assistance to refugees is exactly in line with our objectives.
Engaging with youth has been especially rewarding. We discovered that they are highly receptive to the principles of IHL and readily motivated to become advocates for the protection of civilians in conflict and ensuring that all people are treated with humanity.
We are also mobilizing law students through the Clara Barton IHL Competition, introducing them to legal scholars who lead in this field and providing a front-row view to the challenges and obligations of IHL in real-life situations. People often talk about planting seeds. I see the Clara Barton Competition as planting acorns. These emerging law professionals who are drawn to IHL will become titans in this field, leading the conversation, they will move and shape the world and they will be spearheading organizations like Amnesty International, agencies such as the State Department and as high-level government advisors, ensuring that the rules of war always protect civilians and those who are most vulnerable during conflict.
I’m passionate about this event, I see it as an opportunity to shape the world view as these professionals step into their careers, and as an extension, it’s an opportunity to shape the future of the world.
In advance of the Clara Barton International Humanitarian Law Competition, an annual event that will be held on March 12-15, 2016 in Seattle, Christie took a moment to outline how International Humanitarian Law (IHL) plays out in our daily lives, at home and around the world.
Last year, a team from the University of Ottawa won the prestigious competition. A team from the region will be representing Canada again this year.
Q: Why should we be concerned with IHL and what role do IHL and the Geneva Conventions play in our daily lives?
A: IHL impacts us all far more than we generally think about. As a starting point, almost everyone is somehow connected to someone in the military, either as a family member, friend, or colleague. IHL is intended to protect everyone, be it members of the military who have been captured, civilians caught in the crossfire, or health care workers who are delivering life-saving medical aid.
Q: What are the challenges of engaging the public and how do you overcome them?
A: The rhetoric of fear is a powerful tool, and after the attacks in Paris and California, public attitudes towards the civilians and victims of ISIL and the Syrian conflict, among many others, have not always been receptive. Since the foundation of the Geneva Conventions is to protect civilians in conflict, the efforts by the American Red Cross and our partner National Societies to provide assistance to refugees is exactly in line with our objectives.
Engaging with youth has been especially rewarding. We discovered that they are highly receptive to the principles of IHL and readily motivated to become advocates for the protection of civilians in conflict and ensuring that all people are treated with humanity.
We are also mobilizing law students through the Clara Barton IHL Competition, introducing them to legal scholars who lead in this field and providing a front-row view to the challenges and obligations of IHL in real-life situations. People often talk about planting seeds. I see the Clara Barton Competition as planting acorns. These emerging law professionals who are drawn to IHL will become titans in this field, leading the conversation, they will move and shape the world and they will be spearheading organizations like Amnesty International, agencies such as the State Department and as high-level government advisors, ensuring that the rules of war always protect civilians and those who are most vulnerable during conflict.
I’m passionate about this event, I see it as an opportunity to shape the world view as these professionals step into their careers, and as an extension, it’s an opportunity to shape the future of the world.
