FROM DENIAL TO ACTIVE PARTICIPATION: REVIEWING THE NON-MILITARY ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW

Abstract

The mechanisms put in place for the implementation of any given set of laws determine to a great extent its effectiveness. This paper examines the non-military aspects of implementation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) undertaken by the United Nations vide its organs and agencies. Some cases of practical interventions by the United Nations in the process are examined in some detail. This is done to bring to light the onerous task the UN is confronted with in discharging this responsibility. The paper notes that the efforts of the UN in this regard have been quite extensive, and in cases where the UN has had to collaborate with other agencies, it has helped foster a spirit of complementarity and competition. The paper concludes by calling on the UN to strive to be apolitical in its efforts at implementing IHL to enable it be in consonance with the fundamental principle of neutrality under IHL.