Overview of the ILC’s initial work on the Protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts.
The Commission, at its sixty third session (in 2011), decided to include the topic “Protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts” in its long-term programme of work. The General Assembly, took note of the inclusion of the topic in the Commission’s long-term programme of work. At its sixty-fifth session (in 2013), the Commission decided to include the topic “Protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts” in its programme of work and decided to appoint Ms. Marie G. Jacobsson as Special Rapporteur for the topic. Upon its inclusion in the long-term programme of work, consideration of the topic proceeded to informal consultations, which began during the sixty-fourth session of the Commission, in 2012. The informal consultations in 2012 offered members the opportunity to present their views on the topic. At its sixty-fifth session (in 2013), the Commission held more substantive informal consultations. These initial consultations offered members of the Commission an opportunity to reflect and comment on the road ahead. The elements of the work discussed included scope and the general methodology, including the division of work into temporal phases, as well as the timetable for future work. The time frame envisaged was three years, with one report to be submitted for consideration by the Commission each year.
