South Africa Backs Global Push to Strengthen Humanitarian Law Compliance

ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric arrived in Pretoria this week carrying a specific mandate: secure deeper South African political commitment to a coordinated global push for renewed respect for international humanitarian law, an initiative that has already drawn formal backing from 118 states since its launch in September 2024.

South Africa is not a passive signatory. The country co-founded the Global IHL Initiative alongside Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and the ICRC itself, giving Pretoria a founding stake in whether the effort succeeds or stalls. Of the 118 states that have committed so far, 27 are African nations, a figure that reflects both the initiative’s reach and the particular urgency of the problem on the continent, where more than one-third of the world’s active conflicts are concentrated.

Spoljaric was direct about the stakes. “Today we see the horrific humanitarian consequences resulting from the rules of war being bent, broken or outright ignored,” she said during the visit. “As one of the six founding states of the Global IHL Initiative, South Africa is playing a critical role in reviving respect for these life-saving rules globally. With over one-third of armed conflicts taking place in Africa, I hope more countries across the continent will join this exceptional effort to unite states around a shared commitment to preserve humanity in war.”

The ICRC’s credibility in South Africa is not incidental. The organization has operated there since 1963, building institutional relationships that include visits to political prisoners during the apartheid era, among them meetings with Nelson Mandela during his imprisonment on Robben Island. That history gives the organization standing that few external bodies can claim in the region.

In Pretoria, Spoljaric met with Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola to discuss South Africa’s leadership role. She also engaged with Advocate Mothibedi Panyane, president of the South African Red Cross Society, to coordinate on active humanitarian operations inside the country.

Meanwhile, the campaign’s diplomatic calendar is building toward a fixed endpoint. On December 7, a high-level conference convened by His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein in Jordan will bring participating states together to formally reaffirm their commitment to the rules of war. That gathering represents the culmination of months of groundwork across multiple continents, and its outcome will offer the clearest measure yet of how durable the initiative’s political support actually is.

The ICRC’s role extends well beyond convening meetings. Working alongside Red Cross and Red Crescent partner organizations, it delivers emergency aid in active conflict zones, reconnects separated families, and locates missing persons. The organization also conducts confidential engagement with armed forces and government authorities on all sides of conflicts, pressing for humane treatment of detainees and compliance with humanitarian law, including protections for civilians in digital spaces.

In the Southern African context specifically, the ICRC coordinates with the South African government and the Southern African Development Community to address regional humanitarian challenges and reinforce adherence to the laws of war. That dual approach, quiet diplomacy with military and state actors combined with public advocacy, is designed to influence behavior at multiple institutional levels simultaneously.

South Africa’s continued engagement carries weight that extends beyond its own borders. As a founding member with significant regional influence, its political commitment signals to other African governments that respect for international humanitarian law remains a priority for major continental actors. Whether that signal translates into broader African adoption of the initiative’s principles before and after the Jordan conference is the question the coming weeks will answer.