The ICMD is an ambitious project launched by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute that aims to centralize existing data from a vast network of partners on the ground, in order to facilitate access and analysis of information regarding compliance of IHL in armed conflicts around the world.
Why now?
There are around 120 armed conflicts in the world and compliance with the rules of IHL remains one of the biggest challenges in the field. Recent major conflicts reveal a dangerous climate of overall disregard of the rules of IHL that is extremely worrisome. Serious attempts to utilize pre-existing monitoring mechanisms, or to create new ones, have been thwarted by a handful of States. All these factors foster an environment of impunity and limit greatly our knowledge of compliance on this field.
Why a database?
Swedish and other international academic institutions have been successful in building strong and useful databases in areas such as Conflicts & Violence, Democracy, Anti-corruption and Peace & Disarmament. Following these and other types of examples, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute believes the same approach would be useful in the field of IHL. ICMD seeks to centralize and aggregate existing data from field partners in places with armed conflicts. Clear data will help us understand better the realities and challenges of IHL compliance on the ground.
How do you deal with Data?
Data gathering is made possible through our network of partners on the field that submit data to the ICMD. Data sharing agreements, protocols and procedures are set up in place to ensure we have access to reliable data, no partner is put at risk, and all ethical and GDPR requirements are complied with. ICMD counts with internal vetting mechanisms and technology to vet information including open-source corroboration, data triangulation, and fake information detection.
Who is it for?
ICMD will provide useful data that will:
- Inform civil society and combat misinformation
- Facilitate useful information to the humanitarian sector
- Trigger academic research in the field
- Guide State authorities in their efforts to design sound policy responses to armed conflict crises
- Help States comply with their own customary obligation to ensure respect for IHL
Why the Raoul Wallenberg Institute?
As an independent and impartial academic organization with 40 years of experience, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute has become a center of excellence for academic and applied research in the fields of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. Headquartered in Lund, and with several regional and country offices, RWI is a trusted and respected partner of governments, academic institutions, and multilateral organizations around the world. RWI has extensive – and an increasing number of – collaborations with the UN human rights system, and with in-house expert researchers and a vast network of researchers around the world. Our non-partisan and scientific approach to research ensures fairness, academic rigor and top-quality legal analysis.
How does it fit with the Global Goals?
ICMD contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16, specifically targets 16.3 (Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all), 16.6 (Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels), and 16.a (Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime).
Moreover, ICMD has been assessed as eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA) under OECD DAC criteria. In line with the DAC Statistical Reporting Directives, this reflects that the initiative’s primary objective contributes to the economic development and welfare of developing countries, including by strengthening respect for international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles in conflict-affected contexts.
What is the expected output of the ICMD initiative?
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute will gather, vet, and conduct a preliminary assessment of incidents that are relevant to International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The aim is to compile all this data into an open access database showcasing patterns and trends on IHL compliance in armed conflicts.
What types of incidents will ICMD investigate? Will it cover genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes?
ICMD will focus exclusively on IHL and thus focus on the conduct of states and non-state armed groups during an armed conflict. International crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes fall outside the scope of ICMD as any findings on individual criminal responsibility must be made by a competent court of law that complies with fair trial guarantees, including the right of the individual to defend him- or herself.
Will RWI hold states accountable for violations of IHL through ICMD?
No, RWI is not an international court nor an advocacy organization. ICMD will consolidate data indicating the existence of incidents relevant for IHL, and analyze them to present trends and patterns regarding early stages of IHL compliance. It is then up to the competent authorities or organizations to use ICMD as a resource when they decide to initiate procedures that may lead to findings on responsibility and accountability.
How will RWI decide what is an incident relevant for IHL?
A group of specialized reviewers will conduct a factual and legal analysis of the data gathered. First, by determining whether the incidents are relevant for IHL. Second, through vetting, corroboration and triangulation of gathered reports, reviewers will determine whether the data is reliable and credible. Finally, reviewers examine whether there are sufficient indicators to believe the incident fulfills the threshold of certainty and strength required to catalogue the event as an incident relevant for IHL. Included incidents are then aggregated and analyzed to determine trends and patterns regarding early stages of IHL compliance.
Where will the data come from?
RWI will create a platform available for submission of reports by individuals and organizations on the ground, as well as conduct its own open-source investigations. State-of-the-art artificial intelligence tools will help process big volumes of data in an effective way, but will not replace human analysis.
Will RWI make public all the collected data? Will ICMD be publicly accessible?
RWI takes very seriously all legal and ethical obligations related to data protection. Similarly, RWI will design the system in a way that no contributor is at risk of identification or loosing access to the ground. ICMD will use a cyber-secure environment based in the EU powered with EU based sub processors that can guarantee full data sovereignty and security. Published incidents are only processed data and will not contain or reflect the submitted reports that lead to their inclusion. Information that is included in the database will be publicly available to everyone. We hope to see it being used by scholars, humanitarians, journalists, NGOs, policy makers and duty-bearers.
When will it be ready?
ICMD is under construction. Please see our Media Center tab to keep informed on the latest activities, developments, and announcements.