“Mukhtar”: We recommend adhering to international legal controls on the transfer and use of conventional weapons.
Al-Sanhouti: International rules derived from the Statute of the International Court of Justice must be respected.
On October 30, 2025, the Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights, in cooperation with the International Consulting Group for Training and Legal Services, organized a virtual training workshop entitled “How to Document Violations Resulting from Conventional Weapons in the Arab Region.” The workshop targeted male and female workers in civil society organizations.
The workshop aimed to enhance the participants’ capabilities in documenting violations related to the use of conventional weapons, by providing them with theoretical and applied knowledge related to the types of these weapons and their humanitarian effects, and the international restrictions imposed on their use, transfer, production, development and destruction of their stockpiles, in addition to practical training on documentation mechanisms and the use of open-source investigation tools and data analysis from primary and secondary sources. The workshop concluded with practical exercises on international human rights advocacy in disarmament issues.
In this regard, Mohamed Mokhtar, Director of the Disarmament Unit at the Maat Foundation, affirmed that documenting violations related to the use of conventional weapons is a fundamental pillar for holding perpetrators of grave violations accountable, respecting the dignity of victims, and building collective memory for conflict-affected communities. Mokhtar emphasized the restrictions imposed on the production, development, stockpiling, and destruction of conventional weapons and recommended adherence to international legal controls on their transfer and use.
Ahmed El-Sanhouti, Deputy Director of the Disarmament Unit at the Maat Foundation, addressed the international legal framework governing the use and transfer of conventional weapons, reviewing key relevant international agreements such as the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its protocols, the Mine Ban Convention, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the Arms Trade Treaty. El-Sanhouti recommended respecting international rules derived from Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, which serves as the basis for international disarmament law. This includes conventions and treaties, customary international law, general principles, international court rulings, and flexible laws related to this field.
It is worth noting that the workshop focused on human rights advocacy in conventional arms issues, and international advocacy tools and methods, including monitoring, documentation, lobbying, coalition building, and participation in UN disarmament mechanisms, in addition to media campaigns and public mobilization.
shortlink: https://maatpeace.org/en/?p=45585
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