In line with the commitment of His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, to the pivotal role of the League in upholding the principles and values of humanity, and reaffirming its steadfast adherence to the principles and provisions of international humanitarian law as enshrined in the relevant international instruments, as well as to the role that Arab national committees concerned with international humanitarian law can play in promoting and coordinating joint Arab efforts in this field, the Council of the League of Arab States at the Ministerial Level adopted Resolutions 9148 and 9216, issued respectively during the Council's 163rd Ordinary Session held on 23 April 2025, and its 164th Ordinary Session held on 4 September 2025, concerning the approval of the establishment of the Arab Permanent Committee on International Humanitarian Law and the adoption of its internal regulations, to serve as one of the League's specialised mechanisms in the field of international humanitarian law.
Among the core functions of the Arab Permanent Committee on International Humanitarian Law is to promote awareness of the laws, conventions, and issues pertaining to international humanitarian law under the supervision of the League of Arab States at the Ministerial Level, with a view to formulating recommendations related to this field in the Arab region.
The Committee works to coordinate a unified Arab position on issues of international humanitarian law raised in regional and international fora.
Coordinating joint Arab efforts among the Arab national committees in the field of international humanitarian law.
- The Committee undertakes the provision of advisory opinions and the examination of matters referred to it relating to international humanitarian law, and submits recommendations thereon.
-The Technical Secretariat, represented by the Department of Treaties and International Law of the Legal Affairs Sector of the League of Arab States, is responsible for preparing the draft agenda of the Committee, as well as its reports and recommendations, submitting such recommendations to the Council of the League of Arab States at the Ministerial Level, and following up on their implementation after adoption.
- The articles of the Rules of Procedure of the Arab Permanent Committee on International Humanitarian Law were prepared and drafted through joint coordination between the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States (Legal Affairs Sector – Department of Treaties and International Law) and the notable National Committee for International Humanitarian Law of the State of Qatar, acting under a mandate from the Arab national committees concerned with international humanitarian law in the Arab States.
- The Council of the League of Arab States at the Ministerial Level approved the Rules of Procedure of the Committee through its aforementioned resolution, thereby regulating the work of the Arab Permanent Committee on International Humanitarian Law, which stands as the first specialised legal reference body in this branch of public international law.
