The event “Engaging Religious Leaders to Generate Respect for Humanitarian Norms in Armed Conflict” was co-organised together with the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva, and the University of York. At the conference, the findings of the applied research Generating Respect for Humanitarian Norms: The Influence of Religious Leaders on Parties to Armed Conflict - The Generating Respect Project, developed by the University of York’s Centre for Applied Human Rights and York Law School, in close partnership with Geneva Call and the Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre, and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK), were presented.

As a humanitarian donor, the EU recognises that in order to gain and maintain humanitarian space, the humanitarian community must be able to effectively manage the perception of being principled – i.e. impartial, neutral, and independent. This requires engagement with all sides of a conflict, the local communities and all relevant actors with influence. Supporting, both policy-wise and financially, such engagement is part of EU policy, including in terms of International Humanitarian Law.

In many of today’s conflicts, violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) – the rules of war – or of human rights, have sadly become the norm. Such violations generate huge suffering, prolong conflicts, and increase humanitarian needs. One of the key commitments of the EU is to put compliance with IHL at the heart of its external action.

Predrag Avramović, Head of Humanitarian Affairs and Migration Section at the EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva

Ensuring respect of IHL and human rights law in armed conflict faces tremendous challenges from different angles. Interdisciplinary research that provides creative, evidence-based insights into how to generate greater compliance with humanitarian norms is therefore needed. The ‘Generating Respect’ Project is such a research endeavour, aiming to understand the role of religious leaders as influencers of legal compliance in armed conflict as well as providing an operational tool so that the humanitarian community can engage with such leaders to positively affect the behaviours of States and armed groups. It does so in the form of the Considerations and Guidance for the Humanitarian Engagement with Religious Leaders, which can be found on the Generating Respect Project website.

Dr Ezequiel Heffes, Senior Policy and Legal Advisor, Geneva Call, presented the conceptual and empirical findings from the Generating Respect Project on why and how to engage with religious leaders in armed conflict. An overview of the Generating Respect Project’s findings and outputs was further given by Dr Ioana Cismas, Co-Director, Centre for Applied Human Rights & Reader, York Law School, University of York.

In the ensuing interactive panel discussion, the audience heard reflections from religious, humanitarian and academic circles, including: Sheikh Maytham Al Salman, Muslim Cleric & Researcher, University of York; Ms Nathalie Weizmann, Senior Legal Advisor, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); Dr Kathrine Fortin, Associate Professor, University of Utrecht. The event was moderated by Ms Reka Dobri, Team Leader for Sectoral Polices and Mainstreaming, Humanitarian Aid Thematic Policies Unit of the EU’s Humanitarian Aid Directorate-General (DG ECHO).