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and Additional Protocol I of 199 ,
which implies developing legislation
that allows for the punishment
of those responsible for committing
such crimes, regardless of who such
persons are or where or against
whom the crimes were committed.
The Resolution calls upon Member
States to enact appropriate laws on
the use and protection of the red
cross and red crescent emblems,
as well as the recently adopted red
crystal emblem. It urges Member
States to prevent the disappearance
of persons, to determine the fate of
those who have disappeared, and to
attend to the needs of their family
members. It insists on the need by
Member States to bring about the
widest possible dissemination of
the rules of international humanitarian
law, in particular by their incorporation
into the military doctrine
and manuals of their armed
forces. Furthermore, the Resolution
encourages Member States to effectively
prohibit chemical and biological
weapons, as well as to implement
the ban on anti-personnel
mines. The Resolution also reminds
Member States of their obligation
to establish procedures for determining
the legality of new means or
methods of warfare. Moreover, the
Resolution insists on the adoption
of the necessary measures to protect
cultural property from the ef-
fects of armed conflict. It also calls
upon Member States to prohibit the
recruitment of children younger
than 1 years of age to directly take
part in hostilities.
During its thirty-sixth regular session,
in addition to this Resolution,
the OAS also adopted a number of
other resolutions related to international
humanitarian law. Many of
them reinforce the commitments
stated by Resolution AG/RES.222
(XXXVI-O/0 ) and list Member
States’ obligations.
In the case of resolution AG/RES.
2231 (XXXVI-O/06), “Persons
Who Have Disappeared and Assistance
to their Relatives”, it is worth
recalling that this resolution seeks
to clarify that dealing thoroughly
with the issue of persons who have
disappeared as a result of an armed
conflict or any situation of internal
violence implies adopting measures
to prevent this phenomenon and
find out the fate of missing persons,
manage information and handle
files, adequately deal with human
remains and take due consideration
of the needs of the missing persons’
relatives. In this regard, resolution
AG/RES. 2175 (XXXVI-O/06)
“The Right to the Truth” sheds light
on important aspects related to
States’ duty to find a solution to the
problem.
Resolutions dealing with questions
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Activities of International, inter-American and Regional
Organizations concerning International Humanitarian Law