Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  States will choose the available mechanisms to respond depending on the situation. We aren't in a position to judge whether sanctions should be imposed. However, clearly sanctions have many unintended consequences. It's necessary to implement exceptions or permissions as soon as the sanctions are established to ensure that humanitarian assistance organizations, for example, can operate.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for the question. The ICRC is very concerned about the situation of children and families who have been held for a long time in northwestern Syria. We've consistently called for the countries of origin of these citizens, both adults and children, to take all possible steps to repatriate them, including through their national justice systems.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for the question. I can confirm everything that Ms. Byrnes said. The situation is very troubling. The ICRC reopened its office six months ago because of this increase in violence, which is quite intense and which continues to significantly affect people. Above all, there's the accessibility issue, which Ms.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I just want to add that the security situation has been a major issue for a long time. For several decades, a number of countries have been taking initiatives to resolve the situation on the ground, but to no avail. It's very complicated. I agree with Ms. Byrnes that we must keep supporting the basic system that assists people.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  As you know, we're not a specialist human rights organization, so it's not our principal focus, but we would come across people if they were caught up in conflict, displaced, injured, imprisoned, or separated from their family members. However, we would not have a specific focus on dealing with the issue of forced labour.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I have to admit I've been called to a number of other crises around the world in the four years since then, so I wouldn't pretend to be up to speed on the situation in India right now. The situation for minorities is always of concern in every country, particularly more so in countries affected directly by conflict, so our focus is always going to be in those areas where the conflict is more extreme.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Certainly. There are four points: the importance of steady unearmarked support; the importance of defending humanitarian law; the importance of ensuring that international sanctions always have humanitarian carve-outs and exemptions; and the importance of making sure that counterterrorism legislation does not have unintended consequences for humanitarian actions.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  That's very kind of you. The last point was that, as humanitarians, we can only prepare the ground, minimize abuses and give people a bit of hope. What we need is political leadership to uphold the rules-based order, look for solutions to conflict and work the multilateral systems toward ending the ever-increasing number of conflicts.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Good evening, Mr. Chair and committee members. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you. The International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, highly values its relationship with the Government of Canada. This relationship encourages us to carry out our mandate without fear or hesitation, while mindful of the support provided, not only for our work, but also for the protection of international humanitarian law.