A resolution marking the 70th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, expressing concern about significant violations of international humanitarian law on contemporary battlefields, and encouraging United States leadership in ensuring greater respect for international humanitarian law in current conflicts, particularly with its security partners.

III Calendar No. 146 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 206 Marking the 70th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, expressing concern about significant violations of international humani- tarian law on contemporary battlefields, and encouraging United States leadership in ensuring greater respect for international humanitarian law in current conflicts, particularly with its security partners. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 14, 2019 Mr. BOOKER (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations JULY 15, 2019 Reported by Mr. RISCH, with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble and an amendment to the title [Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] [Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] RESOLUTION Marking the 70th anniversary of the four Geneva Conven- tions of 1949, expressing concern about significant viola- tions of international humanitarian law on contemporary battlefields, and encouraging United States leadership in ensuring greater respect for international humani- tarian law in current conflicts, particularly with its secu- rity partners. VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jul 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\SR206.RS SR206 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 206 RS Whereas the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, along with their Additional Protocols, are the foundation of inter- national humanitarian law (IHL), also known as the law of armed conflict, the body of law that seeks to ensure wars have limits; Whereas 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the four Gene- va Conventions of 1949 and serves as a reminder of the importance and continued relevance of IHL in a world with proliferating and protracted armed conflicts, unprec- edented displacement, and immense suffering; Whereas the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 reflect more than just law; they reflect the universal recognition that wars must be fought humanely; Whereas, at its core, IHL sets out a fundamental obligation that people, even in times of armed conflict, must be treated with humanity; Whereas IHL requires all parties to armed conflicts, whether states or non-state armed groups, to comply with rules and basic principles that seek to preserve the lives and dignity of human beings, such as that: civilians and civil- ian objects must not be targeted; hospitals and medical personnel must be respected and must not be attacked; no one shall be subjected to torture or other forms of ill treatment; and rape and other forms of sexual violence are prohibited; Whereas today’s conflicts are marred by significant violations of IHL, the effects of which are apparent across armed conflicts, from restrictions on humanitarian access con- tributing to the world’s worst cholera outbreak in Yemen, to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, in addition to attacks against civilians, and attacks on medical per- VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jul 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR206.RS SR206 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 206 RS sonnel and health facilities; to the Islamic State’s use of civilians as human shields; to widespread killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement in countries such as Ni- geria, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and elsewhere; Whereas people detained in armed conflict, including pris- oners of war (POWs), often suffer torture, abuse, and in- humane living conditions, such as insufficient food, water, and health services; Whereas, while many states have taken significant steps to ensure humane treatment of detainees, and adequate liv- ing conditions, many others still fail to comply with basic standards of treatment and care as required by IHL; Whereas, as mandated by the Geneva Conventions, the Inter- national Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plays a vital role in visiting detainees in situations of armed con- flict with a view to preventing torture and other forms of ill-treatment, preventing disappearances, improving overall detention conditions, maintaining family contacts, and promoting judicial guarantees; Whereas the United States has an expressed preference for pursuing its military objectives ‘‘by, with, and through’’ its security partners in some parts of the world, but state militaries and non-state armed groups with which the United States partners may lack sufficient commitment to IHL principles or capabilities to conduct their oper- ations in a manner that effectively minimizes civilian harm; Whereas it is essential, as a critical component of its policies and diplomatic relations, that the United States affirms its commitment to not only respect the rules of IHL but VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jul 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR206.RS SR206 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 206 RS to ensure respect by its partners and adopt policies condi- tioning its security assistance in this regard; Whereas, as the nature of warfare changes, IHL remains rel- evant to ensure wars are fought with limits; Whereas IHL was created to respond to new developments and domains in warfare, such as cyber operations, and new challenges do not undermine the importance or rel- evance of IHL, but rather call for affirming, applying, and ensuring compliance with IHL; Whereas sweeping counterterrorism measures and country- based sanctions have sometimes impeded neutral, impar- tial lifesaving humanitarian action in countries like So- malia and Syria; Whereas the United States has a long tradition of imple- menting and upholding IHL, not just as a matter of legal obligation but also because respect for human life and protecting the vulnerable reflects the best traditions of a professional military force; Whereas United States senior military leadership often pub- licly recognizes that minimizing civilian harm is central to mission effectiveness and therefore serves the United States national security interests; and Whereas, as long as armed conflict remains a reality, there must also be a limit to suffering, and IHL, as outlined 70 years ago in the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, sets out these limits: Now, therefore, be it Whereas the United States has ratified the four Geneva Con- ventions of 1949, along with Protocol III of 2005 (the ‘‘Ge- neva Conventions’’); Whereas 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, which form a pillar of the law of VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jul 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR206.RS SR206 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 206 RS armed conflict and international humanitarian law and serves as a reminder of the importance and continued rel- evance of these conventions in a world with proliferating and protracted armed conflicts, unprecedented displace- ment, and immense suffering; Whereas the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 reflect more than just law; they reflect the universal recognition that wars must be fought humanely; Whereas, at their core, the Geneva Conventions set out a funda- mental obligation that people, even in times of armed con- flict, must be treated with humanity; Whereas the Geneva Conventions require all parties to armed conflicts, whether states or non-state armed groups, to com- ply with rules and basic principles that seek to preserve the lives and dignity of human beings, such as that: civil- ians and civilian objects must not be targeted; hospitals and medical personnel must be respected and must not be attacked; no one shall be subjected to torture or other forms of ill treatment; and rape and other forms of sexual vio- lence are prohibited; Whereas today’s conflicts are marred by significant violations of the Geneva Conventions, the effects of which are appar- ent across armed conflicts, from restrictions on humani- tarian access contributing to the world’s worst cholera out- break in Yemen, to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, in addition to attacks against civilians, and medical per- sonnel and health facilities; to the Islamic State’s use of civilians as human shields; to widespread killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement in countries such as Ni- geria, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and elsewhere; VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jul 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR206.RS SR206 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •SRES 206 RS Whereas people detained in armed conflict, including prisoners of war (POWs), often suffer torture, abuse, and inhumane living conditions, such as insufficient food, water, and health services; Whereas, while many states have taken significant steps to en- sure humane treatment of detainees, and adequate living conditions, many others still fail to comply with basic standards of treatment and care as required by the Geneva Conventions; Whereas, as mandated by the Geneva Conventions, the Inter- national Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plays a vital role in visiting detainees in situations of armed conflict with a view to preventing torture and other forms of ill- treatment, preventing disappearances, improving overall detention conditions, maintaining family contacts, and promoting judicial guarantees; Whereas it is essential, as a critical component of its policies and diplomatic relations, that the United States affirms its commitment to not only respect the rules of the law of armed conflict and the Geneva Conventions but also to promote respect by its security partners in this regard; Whereas, as the nature of warfare changes, the Geneva Conven- tions remain relevant to ensure wars are fought with lim- its; Whereas the Geneva Conventions were intended to be adaptive to respond to new developments and domains in warfare, such as cyber operations, and, as such, new challenges do not undermine the importance or relevance of the Geneva Conventions or the law of armed conflict, but rather call for reaffirming, applying, and ensuring compliance with the Geneva Conventions and the law of armed conflict; VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jul 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR206.RS SR206 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •SRES 206 RS Whereas the United States Government should strive to ensure that our counterterrorism measures do not hinder the de- livery of life-saving humanitarian assistance; Whereas the United States has a long tradition of imple- menting and upholding the Geneva Conventions, not just as a matter of legal obligation but also because dem- onstrating respect for human life and protecting the vul- nerable reflects the best traditions of a professional mili- tary force; Whereas senior leaders in the United States Armed Forces often publicly recognize that minimizing civilian harm is central to mission effectiveness and therefore serves the na- tional security interests of the United States; and Whereas, as long as armed conflict remains a reality, there must also be a limit to human suffering, as outlined 70 years ago in the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, which set out these limits: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 1 (1) upon the 70th anniversary of the four Gene- 2 va Conventions of 1949, respect for international 3 humanitarian law (IHL) remains critical to uphold- 4 ing humanity in war, protecting people affected by 5 war, and preventing suffering; 6 (2) the Executive branch and Congress must 7 ensure that the United States Government, as the 8 largest donor of lifesaving humanitarian aid— 9 (A) does not employ counterterrorism 10 measures or other sanctions that unduly impede 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jul 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\SR206.RS SR206 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •SRES 206 RS lifesaving humanitarian action and thereby 1 jeopardize vulnerable people’s access to re- 2 sources critical to their survival; and 3 (B) upholds the longstanding United 4 States commitment to supporting principled hu- 5 manitarian action; and 6 (3) the United States must continue to be a 7 global leader in promoting and ensuring compliance 8 with IHL by upholding high standards of conduct 9 within the United States Armed Forces, taking 10 stronger measures to ensure compliance with IHL 11 by United States security partners, holding perpetra- 12 tors of violations of IHL accountable, and seeking 13 compliance with IHL by all parties to armed con- 14 flict. 15 That it is the sense of the Senate that— 16 (1) upon the 70th anniversary of the four Geneva 17 Conventions of 1949, demonstrating continuing re- 18 spect for such conventions remains critical to uphold- 19 ing humanity in war, protecting people affected by 20 war, and preventing human suffering; 21 (2) the Executive branch and Congress must en- 22 sure that the United States Government, as the largest 23 donor of lifesaving humanitarian aid— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jul 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\SR206.RS SR206 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •SRES 206 RS (A) works to overcome policies and actions 1 that unduly impede lifesaving humanitarian ac- 2 cess and thereby jeopardize vulnerable people’s 3 access to resources critical to their survival; and 4 (B) upholds the longstanding United States 5 commitment to supporting principled humani- 6 tarian action; and 7 (3) the United States must continue to be a glob- 8 al leader in promoting and ensuring compliance with 9 the Geneva Conventions by upholding high standards 10 of conduct within the United States Armed Forces, 11 taking strong measures to ensure compliance with the 12 Geneva Conventions by United States security part- 13 ners, holding perpetrators of violations of the Geneva 14 Conventions accountable, and seeking compliance 15 with the Geneva Conventions by all parties to armed 16 conflict. 17 Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A resolution marking the 70th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, which form a pillar of the law of armed conflict and international humanitarian law and serves as a re- minder of the importance and continued relevance of these conventions in a world with proliferating and pro- tracted armed conflicts, unprecedented displacement, and immense suffering.’’. VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Jul 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR206.RS SR206 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS Calendar No. 146 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 206 RESOLUTION Marking the 70th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, expressing concern about sign [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]