The International Committee of the Red Cross regional delegation for East Asia and the East China University of Political Science and Law recently held a two-day roundtable in Shanghai to discuss the implementation of the law in peace operations.

The roundtable was held to provide a forum to exchange of views and best practices on the law applicable to peace operations.

"The spectrum and responsibilities of peace operations involving multinational forces has grown increasingly over the past years," said Helen Durham, ICRC Director of International Law and Policy.

"The combination of the various mandates that are assigned to these forces raises a number of law issues, including the legal framework in which they operate. This event offers us an opportunity to look into legal issues specifically relevant to peace operations in a concrete and practical manner."

The roundtable brought together experts from the Netherlands as well as around 20 Chinese experts from military and police institutions, research institutes and universities, and the ICRC.

Participants discussed various subjects including the international legal framework applicable to peace operations, the use of force in peace operations, treatment and detention of persons in multinational operations and responsibility and accountability in peace operations.

The ICRC regional delegation in Beijing has been organizing seminars and training events for government staff, military personnel, university lecturers and students in China, the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Mongolia, since 2005.