Geneva Conventions and the law

The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are international treaties that contain the most important rules limiting the barbarity of war. They protect people who are not taking part in the fighting (civilians, medics, aid workers) and those who can no longer fight (wounded, sick and shipwrecked troops, prisoners of war).

The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are at the core of international humanitarian law, the body of international law that regulates the conduct of armed conflict and seeks to limit its effects. They specifically protect people who are not taking part in the hostilities, including civilians, health workers and aid workers, and those who are no longer participating, such as wounded, sick and shipwrecked soldiers and prisoners of war. The Conventions and their Protocols call for measures to be taken to prevent or put an end to all breaches. They contain stringent rules to deal with what are known as "grave breaches". Those who commit grave breaches must be pursued, tried or extradited, whatever their nationality.

International humanitarian law (IHL) and other legal regimes are complementary in armed conflicts. They are, however, distinct and separate, especially jus in bello (or IHL), which regulates the way war is conducted, and jus ad bellum, which covers the reasons for war. Human rights law and refugee law can overlap with IHL.