The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Strengthening Awareness of International Humanitarian Law and its principles in Law Enforcement and Military Operations in Timor-Leste
On 3–4 March 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in collaboration with the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL) and the Cruz Vermelha de Timor-Leste (CVTL) organized a two-day workshop on International Rules and Standards for Policing & Humanitarian Principles for 15 PNTL unit commanders from all municipalities across the country. The sessions focused on integrating humanitarian principles into policing, ensuring that officers uphold international standards while maintaining public order and security.
Following this, on 5–6 March 2025, the ICRC and CVTL jointly with the Timor-Lese Defense Force (F-FDTL) organized a seminar on the interplay between the Conduct of Hostilities (CoH) and the Law Enforcement (LE) paradigms for 25 officials from the F-FDTL. The seminar emphasizing the importance of humanitarian considerations in both armed conflict and peacetime which the participants also gained insights into the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s humanitarian efforts, including CVTL’s role in disaster response and community resilience.
The sessions were facilitated by ICRC Regional Delegate for Security Forces, Mr. Ahmed Dorgham, Regional Delegate for
Armed Forces, Mr. Lloyd Gillett, alongside with the ICRC Head of Office in Timor-Leste, Mr. João Martins Alves, and Mr. Matias da Cruz from CVTL’s Dissemination Team.
The training was funded by the ICRC, underscoring its commitment to promoting humanitarian principles in law enforcement and military operations in Timor-Leste.
