The Interagency Commission on the Application and Implementation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Ukraine met to discuss this issue. Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk chaired the meeting. 

The meeting discussed making international humanitarian law classes mandatory in high school and for government employees.

In particular, the curriculum will include courses on the concept of human rights protection in situations of armed conflict, as well as international humanitarian law in regular school subjects such as defense of Ukraine, law, and history.

The material will be distributed in manuals, online courses, and through specialized training.

It is also crucial to implement a system of motivation to encourage students to study this topic. We are already holding competitions with incentive prizes for students.

The meeting also addressed the implementation phases of IHL courses for civil servants. Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk proposed that specialized IHL training be made mandatory for civil servants and discussed with the Commission members the means to further launch the relevant training program.

The Commission plans to continue implementing IHL in the education system and will be working with the National Agency of Civil Service, the Red Cross, other humanitarian and human rights organizations, as well as experts in international humanitarian law.

“It is our duty as a government to expand this program to its fullest extent,” the Vice Prime Minister stated.

Furthermore, the meeting attendees discussed the agenda for the IHL Summer School, scheduled for June 17 to 21.