The Philippine Consulate General in Milan on Thursday, 20 August 2020, organized a lecture on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) as part of the observance of August as IHL month.

The lecture featured the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) of the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa, Canada, Atty. Francisco Noel Fernandez III and husband of Philippine Consul General in Milan, Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez.

The lecture was participated in by personnel of the Philippine Consulate General in Milan and the attached agencies, POLO/OWWA, SSS and Pag-IBIG Fund and other personnel of the consulate. COVID 19 protocols including masks and social distancing were observed during the lecture.

DCM Fernandez shared on the evolution and principles of IHL, which forms part of a specialized branch of international law that seeks to limit the impact of armed conflict by protecting civilians in armed conflict and by limiting and regulating the means and methods of warfare available to combatants.

DCM Fernandez also expounded on the relevance of IHL in the work of personnel in the Philippine foreign service particularly those related to the protection of Filipinos in conflict areas.

The participants were given certificates of participation after the lecture.