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Source: Combat Camera<br />
Document as a guideline for PMSC practice. This non-legal document states that international<br />
humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law (IHRL) are indeed applicable to the operations<br />
of PMSCs. It cites previously established legal precedent for IHL and IHRL and lists a series of<br />
recommended best practices for states that contract PMSCs and for countries where PMSC<br />
headquarters are located.<br />
An obvious criticism of the Montreux Document is that it fails to actually engage the PMSCs<br />
themselves, although it is true that PMSC trade associations like the International Peace<br />
Operations Association (now the International Stability Operations Association or ISOA) and<br />
the British Association of Private Security Companies (BAPSC) contributed to the section on<br />
recommended best practices.<br />
The establishment of the ICoC, the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service<br />
Providers, in November 2010 addressed this criticism of the document by specifically engaging<br />
companies in the private military and security industry. 20 This code, again a Swiss-led initiative,<br />
articulates human rights-based principles that guide the conduct of PMSCs in complex<br />
security environments. Unlike the Montreux Document, this code was conceived to be signed<br />
98 THE CANADIAN ARMY JOURNAL VOLUME 16.2 2016
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