Prof Thilo Marauhn, President IHFFC, and Dr Robin McNeill Love, Vice President IHFFC, visited the United Nations (UN) in New York in November 2019 for a series of top level UN meetings to publicise the history, structure, function and unique services of the IHFFC.
This meeting was kindly hosted by the German Ambassador, HE Dr. Christoph Heusgen, of the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations.
The following Member States sent representatives to the meeting: Belgium, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Poland, Tunisia and the United Kingdom (UK).
Prof Thilo Marauhn, supported by Dr Robin McNeill Love, used the opportunity to present the historical background to the formation of the IHFFC, our recent and current activities and our aim to take our mission forward. It was requested that support for the IHFFC by the Member States of the UN Security Council will be an important part in further developing the role and future use of the IHFFC.
On behalf of the IHFFC, Prof Marauhn warmly thanked HE Dr Christoph Heusgen for his much appreciated support in hosting this meeting.
The Inaugural Meeting of the Group of Friends (GoF) of the IHFFC occurred at the United Kingdom Permanent Mission to the UN and was hosted by Susan Dickson, Minister-Counsellor and Legal Adviser at the UK Permanent Mission to the UN. Prof Marauhn welcomed the Member State representatives of the new IHFFC Group of Friends and thanked them very warmly for their attendance and hence very tangible public support of the IHFFC. Prof Marauhn then gave a brief introduction to the background, mission and unique services of the IHFFC and then followed a Question and Answer session. Particular thanks were expressed to Minister-Counsellor Susan Dickson, and through her to Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, the UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UK to the UN, for agreeing that the UK takes on the role as the first Chair of the GoF. This meeting was viewed as a key event for the IHFFC and future events of the GoF are now being planned.
The Member States that have so far joined the IHFFC GoF are as follows: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Kuwait, Lithuania, Madagascar, Netherlands, Palestine, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Uruguay.
In addition, the IHFFC and indeed the IHFFC GoF hope that other States will join the Group to further enhance the cause of the IHFFC.
The meetings gave the IHFFC (represented by Prof Thilo Marauhn and supported by Dr Robin McNeill Love) the opportunity to present the historical background to the formation of the IHFFC, the IHFFC’s recent and current activities and the aim to take forward the IHFFC’s mission. The IHFFC’s stated position was that we are now capitalising on our first successful mission on behalf of the OSCE to the Eastern Ukraine in 2017. In addition, our new UN "Group of Friends” ("GoF”) initiative will hopefully enable us to take forward the international treaty-based IHFFC and its unique features of Impartiality and Confidentiality in our mandated mission to restore respect for International Humanitarian Law. At this time of increasing world tension and at times an apparent move away from international collaboration, the IHFFC believes that our mission now presents an increasingly attractive option in the areas of international conflict prevention, de-escalation and resolution.
At each meeting Prof Thilo Marauhn and Dr Robin McNeill Love received unique top-level UN perspectives concerning the IHFFC from those they were privileged to meet and through the discussions it was hoped that useful information was presented to further progress the knowledge, reputation and hence utility of the IHFFC. It was made clear to the hosts at each meeting that the IHFFC stands ready and willing to fulfil its mandate. In addition, the respective top-level meeting hosts were requested to kindly consider how they could assist, when appropriate, in helping that important goal to become a reality. Each host was warmly thanked for their time, keen interest and wise counsel. Prof Marauhn has formally written to each host to convey the thanks and best wishes on behalf of all the IHFFC Commissioners and Secretariat.
