Thank you, Ambassador Holland, your team and the panellists. The OSCE Code of Conduct places democratic control, the rule of law and respect for international law at the centre of security. It is not merely a declaration. It is a guide for practical work that underpins an accountable, democratic and effective forces
It starts with education. International humanitarian law is part of the syllabus and not an annex to it. In Norway every soldier including every conscript receives instruction in the law of armed conflict before deployment or exercise. The Judge Advocate General investigates and prosecutes breaches within the armed forces. A parliamentary ombudsman scheme reports on the armed forces directly to Parliament. We answer the annual Code of Conduct questionnaire in full and the answers are public.
We apply the same approach abroad. Norwegian instructors train Ukrainian soldiers to uphold the Code of Conduct. Not in theory, but in legitimately defending their homeland from the illegal Russian aggression. Through national and international training, Ukrainian units meet the Code in practice before they meet the front.
Rapid technological development creates new challenges for command, control and the attribution of responsibility, but technological complexity cannot be allowed to become an accountability gap. Impunity enables further violations, weakens the protection of civilians and erodes military discipline and trust in the rule of law.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine shows what happens when armed forces are not held to account. The Code of Conduct offers the alternative: democratic control, trained effective forces and consequences for violations.
Thank you.