Reporting activities under international humanitarian law

Abstract International treaties commonly request States to submit periodic reports on measures adopted to facilitate compliance with relevant obligations, permitting them to identify shortcomings and develop appropriate policies, promote transparency and facilitate the exchange of good practices. International humanitarian law (IHL) might appear at odds with this approach as its core instruments do not establish a periodic reporting procedure; indeed, only limited reporting activities have been required from States party to the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. The present paper challenges this perspective, exploring mandatory periodic national reporting activities provided by other treaties forming part of the IHL framework, as in relation to cultural property and weapons systems, as well as more informal reporting mechanisms on IHL developed outside treaty regimes, including those addressing organized armed groups. Taking stock of existing approaches and practices, the paper identifies relevant trends, opportunities and challenges for IHL reporting activities.