On November 7th, 58 members of the Slovenian Armed Forces successfully completed the 2nd edition of International Humanitarian Law Training at the Joint Training Centre in Postojna.
Using immersive teaching tools developed by the Legal Department of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Joint Training Centre Research and Simulations Department, the attending military participants trained themselves on topics such as:
the status of persons in armed conflict;
direct participation in hostilities;
the treatment of the dead;
the status of prisoners of war – POWs;
protection of cultural heritage;
obligations of the defender;
perfidy;
and more.
Leading IHL experts from the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana, dr. Vasilka Sancin and dr. Maruša Tekavčič Veber, delivered 2 days of thought-provoking sessions that engaged the participants and opened the floor for lively debates.
»Even wars have rules« was the main motto of the international humanitarian law training and this was crystal clear by the end of this joint training between the Slovenian Armed Forces and POTC.
We would like to thank all the participants, the lecturers, the staff of the Joint Training Centre in Postojna and the staff of the Legal Department of the Slovenian Armed Forces who developed the content of this training. The POTC Team looks forward to the next edition of this training whose themes are growing in importance in an ever more complex world.
For more information about the training you can follow us on social media:
Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation in the Western Balkans spent the last week on the road, visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
The tailor-made program for Bosnia and Herzegovina delivered some twenty participants from different sectors of the country discussions on the most relevant issues for Bosnia and Herzegovina when it comes to countering foreign perpetrated disinformation: how to define and regulate such phenomenon, how to address it in a country that has a complex state structure, what role it will play in the EU accession process, and what are the pitfalls of current business models of media and NGOs. In addition, an expert from the Finnish Mediapooli led a workshop on Countering Disinformation through a Strategic Risk Approach to Media Landscape, which sparked interesting exchanges and a lively debate among participants.
In Serbia, the project held a highly productive working meeting with some key actors in the field of countering disinformation, who had the opportunity to learn about the good practice examples of Estonia and Finland, as well as to hear about the new developments, initiatives and expectations coming from the EU. The meeting was marked by a high-quality discussion between participants, which strengthened the existing and established new networks, that will invaluably contribute to further work of the project in Serbia.
In both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, the project held closed-door consultations with the representatives of the Council of Ministers and the Government Ministries, respectively. The purpose of these consultations was both to present the objectives and the way forward for the project and to gain insight and feedback on the implementation of the whole-of-government approach in countering foreign perpetrated disinformation.
The project will continue to work with both countries as well as with the rest of the Western Balkan region in the coming months, and looks forward to the remaining visits to Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo.
The Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Disinformation in the Western Balkans is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia through development cooperation funds.
At the 12th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region held under the Slovenian Presidency, CEP’s Executive Director, Ms Nina Čepon, contributed to the panel discussion titled ”Bottom-up recovery and transformation of Ukraine–Supporting Ukraine and Moldova on their way to the EU” on the 24th of October.
She shed light on CEP’s impactful collaboration with Ukrainian municipalities, a process initiated back in 2018 under the scope of the Programme ‘U-LEAD with Europe’ implemented by the German organization GIZ in Ukraine. The dedication to enhancing Ukrainian municipalities continues through our ongoing development project titled ‘Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Ukraine’ funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’.
This project remains committed to transferring knowledge tailored to specific needs and providing sustainable assistance to Ukrainian municipalities as they advance in their development, modernization and contribute to the Ukrainian path toward EU membership while dealing with the everyday challenges of wartime. Activities are focusing on topics such as green transition, civil protection and resilience, economic development, anti-corruption and transparency in local governance, and deliver an important skillset to raise their absorption capacities in terms of donor engagement, namely those of efficient planning, project appraisal and obtainment of external funding.
Čepon emphasised that Ukrainian municipalities are set to play a pivotal role in post-conflict reconstruction and development in Ukraine as they are forward-looking, and they strive toward economic development and other objectives despite being faced with their complex everyday circumstances at this time. Slovenia’s wealth of experience in modernization and the EU accession process promises to bring significant, concrete value.
From 6 to 7 November, the 2nd module of the training on International Humanitarian Law will take place at the Joint Training Centre in Postojna. The organisation of the training is shared between the Slovenian Armed Forces and POTC.
After last year’s first training module on International Humanitarian Law, this year’s module will focus on specific topical areas of this overarching theme. The aim of the second module is to cover the topics that have been identified as the most legally pressing for personnel of peace operations in the field.
The trainees of the International Humanitarian Law training will learn about:
the status of persons in armed conflict;
direct participation in hostilities;
the treatment of the dead;
the status of prisoners of war – POWs;
protection of cultural heritage;
obligations of the defender;
perfidy;
and much more.
The International Humanitarian Law training will also make use of new teaching methods and an updated interactive approach to learning, with the aim of providing mission members with a holistic understanding of real day-to-day legal issues from the perspective of international humanitarian law in the event of escalations in the field. The learning outcomes will directly impact the capabilities of military personnel who are soon to be deployed in Slovenian peace and security structures.
For more information about the training you can follow us on social media:
Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Disinformation in the Western Balkans is continuing its in-country visits to the Western Balkans, with back-to-back visits to Sarajevo and Belgrade, on 24 and 27 October, respectively.
Joined by international and local experts and practitioners, we will discuss country-specific challenges and priorities in countering foreign-perpetrated disinformation. The program for each visit will take into account the inputs of national working groups from our regional capacity-building conference in Portoroz earlier this year, as well as consider new developments in the joint EU and Euro-Atlantic efforts to counter the threat of foreign-perpetrated disinformation.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, we will thus look at the example of Belgium to discuss the issues of establishing effective defence mechanisms in a complex state structure. Moreover, we will talk about the money and financing aspects in both the proliferation, and in countering disinformation.
In Serbia, we will look at best practices of national systems of countering disinformation, as can be found in Estonia or Finland. In addition to national efforts, we will also consider the potential benefits of multilateral cooperation in this field.
The events are open to representatives of government, media, civil society, academia, the international community and all other interested members of the public.
If you would like to join, you can register your attendance at the following links:
The Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Disinformation in the Western Balkans is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia through development cooperation funds.
On October 6th POTC successfully delivered the 5-day Comprehensive Protection of Civilians (CPoC) Training to a group of engaged and motivated participants.
In an increasingly interconnected and turbulent world, the need to safeguard the well-being of civilians caught in the crossfire of conflicts, natural disasters, and other forms of violence has never been more paramount. Over the course of 5 days (and 1 day of e-learning), participants from diverse backgrounds, including military, police, and civilian personnel, delved deep into the concept of “Protection of Civilians” (PoC), unravelling its intricate dimensions and reinforcing their commitment to the cause.
The training empowered participants with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to prevent and respond to violence against civilians. For those without prior experience in civilian crisis management or international missions, this training was an invaluable resource, equipping them with the expertise needed to make a meaningful impact in the protection of civilians.
Delivering this training would not be possible without the cooperation of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), namely ESDC Policy Officer/Training Manager Enver Ferhatović, and the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to the European Union staff, as well as the ESDC Deputy Head Fergal O’Regan and Slovenian Permanent Representative Ambassador Iztok Jarc.
We fully believe that with renewed determination and a broader perspective, the participants of this training are now better equipped to champion the cause of the Protection of Civilians and work towards a safer and more compassionate world for all.
