Managing and preventing conflicts

In peace time, it is possible to learn to live constructively with conflicts thanks to the teaching/learning of conflict management techniques and strategies in schools and training centres. They help to inculcate the following qualities, attitudes and abilities: self-confidence, skills, honesty, mutual cooperation, impartiality, good communication and mutual understanding.

The direct consequences of wars and armed conflicts are numerous:  for instance, they lead to loss of lives and property, to the disruption of the social fabric, psychological trauma, divisive and secessionist tendencies, crime wave, abuse of psychotropic substances and delinquency, environmental and infrastructural destruction, displacement of persons, diseases, delinquency, rape and sexual abuses, disruption of social services, schools, hospitals, etc.

During war time, conflicts are governed by international humanitarian law (IHL). « The IHL aims at protecting the life and human dignity of persons affected by armed conflicts, and at limiting the suffering caused by the war. There are a lot of international regulations aimed at curbing the means and methods of warfare, and also at protecting persons who do not take part in the war or are no longer engaged in fighting. As the IHL is specifically designed for armed conflicts, it is not a substitute for the Human Rights Law, which is applicable at all times. These two sets of rules of law are complementary to each other. »

Source: EDH (Exploring Humanitarian Law) Module 2, page 8. [Online]. (Page accessed on 15/06/2012).  http://www.ehl.icrc.org/images/resources/pdf/otherlanguages/french/Module2.pdf

A teaching and learning programme on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) has been designed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and code-named « Exploring the Humanitarian Law  : EHL »