Comment – obligations of States contributing to UN peacekeeping missions under Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions

A galaxy of norms: UN peace operations and protection of the environment in relation to armed conflict

“…155 It is also argued that this obligation would squarely fit into the notion of "fundamental principles and rules" enshrined in the 1999 Secretary-General's Bulletin. 156 The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Kupreskic case underscored that most rules of IHL, due to their absolute character, lay down obligations for the international community, and that each and every member of that community has "a legal entitlement to demand respect for such obligations". 157 Thus, as a member of the international community, the UN should also ensure respect for such IHL obligations, which arguably include environmental obligations.…”

Armed escorts to humanitarian convoys: An unexplored framework under international humanitarian law

“…115 Those principles include the obligation to protect the civilian population from the dangers resulting from military operations. 116 Given the lack of a clear definition 117 of the situations in which peace forces are engaged as combatants, 118 it is difficult to assess whether the Bulletin can serve as a legal basis to infer that peace forces should avoid the systematic use of armed escorts. A more solid legal basis would be Article 1 common to the four Geneva Conventions, which the updated Commentary of 2016 interprets as imposing an obligation on national contingents put at the disposal of international organizations to respect and ensure respect for IHL in the same way as States, to the extent that the organization retains command and control over the operation.…”