§ Sir Alastair GoodladTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is giving to the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Commonwealth of Independent States to disseminate international humanitarian law through local institutions; and what will be the cost to public funds of such assistance. [39446]
§ Mr. FoulkesSince April 1996, we have supported the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in its development of international humanitarian law (IHL) materials appropriate for use in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the promotion of IHL courses within public and private higher academic institutions in the Russian Federation and the CIS. The activities are continuing and has involved a commitment to date of £127,000.
We also provided a contribution of £15 million to the ICRC in February 1998, of which £4 million was provided specifically for the dissemination of humanitarian law within the ICRC's global programmes.