The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has published a Voluntary Report on Implementation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

The Voluntary Report was prepared with the support of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and in constant consultations with the Interdepartmental Commission on IHL of the United Kingdom.

The Report was successfully presented to the international community at one of the largest humanitarian platforms, the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Geneva, 28-31.10.2024).

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy, the National Red Cross Societies of the United Kingdom, Italy and Ukraine, co-organized a parallel thematic event "Voluntary Reports on the Implementation of IHL at the National Level". The results of this and other international events demonstrated high interest in the Voluntary Report from both individual states and international organizations.

Although the 1949 Geneva Conventions do not require reporting on the implementation of IHL norms into national legislation, the publication of voluntary reports by states is a trend in recent years, initiated by the United Kingdom.

The Report is detailed, covers all the most important issues in the field of IHL and consists of 6 sections, namely:

1. General aspects 
2. Organization of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine 
3. Protection of some categories of individuals and objects 
4. Means and methods of warfare 
5. IHL dissemination 
6. Enforcement of IHL

The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, in the foreword to the Report, noted: "I sincerely hope, the international community will accept and appreciate this Report as a token of Ministry of Defense’s and generally Ukraine’s devotion to the common values of humanity, but also as a confirmation of necessity to support the victory of law and justice closer on the global scale."