International Humanitarian Law in a Challenging Security Environment

◆ Outline ◆

Today, many people are facing humanitarian crises and torn apart by decades of warfare or instability. While the international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine has dealt food security multiple blows, there are other key triggers of the current situation. These include COVID-19, climate change, the global water crisis, and armed conflicts to name a few.

This year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) marks its 160^th year of humanitarian action. The work of the ICRC is based on the Geneva Conventions and ensures humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. The ICRC as a neutral, impartial and independent organization, takes action in response to emergencies and at the same time promotes respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) and its implementation in national law.

In this talk, ICRC President Sporjalic will speak about the challenges posed by contemporary armed conflicts and the current security environment to the world to be a better place, and participants will be encouraged to contribute to the discussion so as to gather diverse perspectives and create a vibrant and open discussion on this topic.

◆ Event Overview ◆

When: Monday, June 13, 2023, 2-2:50 pm
*Doors will open 30 minutes before the event.
Where: International Conference Center, Waseda University, Tokyo
Registration:　https://bit.ly/3IC75TI

◆ Who will you meet on June 13? ◆

Mirjana Spoljaric, President, ICRC

Ms. Mirjana Spoljaric Egger is President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), commencing in October 2022.

Prior to taking up the Presidency, from August 2018 Ms. Spoljaric served as the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS.

Ms. Spoljaric previously had many years of distinguished service with the Swiss Diplomatic Corps. More recently she served as Ambassador and Head of the United Nations and International Organisations Division, where she was instrumental in shaping coherent Swiss policies and priorities in all main UN organs and conferences, representing Switzerland in multilateral processes, and had responsibility for International Geneva and Switzerland’s host country policy.

Ms. Spoljaric served in several assignments in the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern, and as Counsellor and Head of the Political Team at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York.

From 2010-2012, Ms. Spoljaric was seconded to the Office of the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as Senior Adviser covering organizational development, management reforms, and external relations.

Earlier in her career Ms. Spoljaric worked in the Embassy of Switzerland in Cairo, Egypt, and was Desk Officer at the Foreign Economic Affairs Directorate (International Finance Institutions) of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Ms. Spoljaric studied Philosophy, Economics and International Law at the Universities of Basel and Geneva and holds a master’s degree. From 2004 – 2006 she was part-time lecturer on Global Governance at the University of Lucerne.

◆ Inquiry ◆

Waseda International Office
[email protected]