Even wars have laws

60th anniversary celebrations, Federation Hall in front of Parliament House, Canberra

On 12 August 1949 the fourth Geneva Convention was signed. Today marks the 60th anniversary of that day.

The Geneva Conventions comprise rules that apply in times of armed conflict and seek to protect people who are not [or are no longer] taking part in hostilities. This includes wounded or sick fighters, POWs, civilians and medical/religious personnel. Interestingly the first Geneva Convention was signed in 1864 and primarily focussed on the protection of medical personnel. During the negotiations surrounding that Convention the red cross on a white background was dream up as a symbol for medical personnel.

To mark the occasion, the Canberra division of the International Humanitarian Law Committee of the Red Cross hosted a morning ceremony at Federation Hall [in front of Parliament House]. It also launched an IHL magazine and photographic exhibition this evening at the High Court. The magazine is available online here and the exhibition is on at the High Court during business hours.

Whilst the keynote speaker (CJ French(y)) gave a, informative and considered speech, it was a [mere?] Army captain sharing his "war stories" who was the most interesting. He spoke of how the Geneva Conventions work in any everyday context - for example - enabling Palestinian medical people to treat injured Israeli soldiers, and shared some of the less pleasant aspects of his experience. I saw several people commend him on his short address later on.

Interestingly, his stories resulted from him being in the Middle East [he landed on September 1, 2001 no less] in his capacity in the Red Cross - he only recently joined the Australian Army as a Legal Officer. This interested me most. He said that the reason why he joined was the high level of respect for IHL in the Australian Army. I believe that this level of respect for IHL in the ADF is what distinguishes it. The MC similarly recognised and thanked the ADF for fostering such a healthy relationship with the Red Cross. She said that not all national arms of the Red Cross are so fortunate.

I now believe that IHL is the best example of why we study law. It isn't about companies or property rights or money but about protecting a person's most basic human rights at their most vulnerable. Today's events had a profound effect on me - lets hope I do something before it wears off.