Strengthening IHL compliance: The conduct of hostilities, the protection of essential services and humanitarian assistance in contemporary armed conflict

This collection of contributions, authored by renowned international experts and practitioners and based on the presentations delivered at the Sanremo Round Table, investigates some of the most challenging and crucial aspects of contemporary armed conflicts, with the main aim of clarifying their impact on the respect of international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights in the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The 46th Round Table examined the applicability of IHL principles and rules to multi-faceted humanitarian crises, extending its scope by delving into international human rights law and the many complementary legal regimes directly or indirectly safeguarding civilians, essential services, and humanitarian aid in crisis scenarios. Through a thorough analysis of the standard procedures, involved actors, and innovative strategies adopted in the aforementioned domains, the present volume explores the effectiveness of the existing IHL-mandated tools and highlights the importance of a comprehensive implementation of impactful practices to ensure access to humanitarian relief to civilian populations. The Round Table also constituted an important forum to discuss the interplay between different stakeholders and parties, as well as the establishment of most essential long-term cooperation between military and non-military law enforcement bodies, public institutions, civil society organisations, private entities (e.g. financial and economic stakeholders), NGOs and humanitarian actors.