“This memo is the latest in our efforts to extend our presence in different parts of the world in promoting the culture of humanitarian law and human rights though lectures, seminars, and courses. Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Qatar were covered by these efforts lately,” he said.

He considered the signing of the MOU at the Riyadh-based university as among the achievements of his visit to the Kingdom.

“I should take this opportunity to commend the wise leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, for what he doing for his country internally and his initiatives in international interfaith and cultural dialogue,” said Morino.

“I should also commend his active engagement in promoting global peace and his efforts in fostering an equitable and viable solution to conflicts to save the lives and future of many people.”

Earlier this week Morino, a former representative for Italy at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, gave a lecture on international law and human rights in a changing international security environment at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS).

While noting the suffering of those affected by war, he also drew attention to what he called peacetime suffering.

“There are regions of the world where suffering has reached dangerous proportions because of brutal political oppression and recurrent explosions of violence, even if a conflict has not been declared,” he said.

“This led to the emergence of a new legal concept (the responsibility to protect). This concept acknowledges that the right to intervene on humanitarian grounds has become no longer an option when lives are at stake.”

As a way to avoid such situations in any country, Morino suggested that not only military personnel but also civilians had to be informed about their rights and obligations according to the Geneva Convention on human rights.

“Governments have therefore a clear responsibility to spread the rules of international humanitarian law beyond the official organs of the state and to promote some common humanitarian knowledge among the different components of civil society. For example universities, NGOs, cultural institutions, all of which can play important roles to this effect,” he said.

The lecture was attended by KFCRIS chairman Prince Turki Al-Faisal and Bandar Al-Iban, chairman of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. “I extended to them an invitation to attend the International Conference on Global Violence we will organize in Italy under the auspices of the Italian president,” Morino said.

The International Institute of Humanitarian Law is an independent, non-profit humanitarian organization founded in 1970. Its headquarters are based in Villa Ormond, Sanremo (Italy). The main purpose of the Institute is to promote international humanitarian law, human rights, refugee law and related issues, either through research or training.