What are jus ad bellum and jus in bello?
Extract from ICRC publication " International humanitarian law: answers to your questions " Jus ad bellum refers to the conditions under which States may resort to war or to the use of armed force in …
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How does IHL protect refugees and internally displaced persons?
Extract from ICRC publication "International h umanitarian law: answers to your questions" Refugees are people who have crossed an international frontier and are at risk, or have been victims, of …
What is the difference between IHL and human rights law?
Extract from ICRC publication "International humanitarian law: answers to your questions" WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW? Human rights law is a set of international rules, established by …
What does IHL say about terrorism?
What is the ICRC's position on terrorism? The ICRC strongly condemns acts of violence that are indiscriminate and spread terror among the civilian population. It has done so on many occasions. …
Ukraine crisis: ICRC calls on all parties to spare civilians
Fighting has intensified recently in and around Donetsk, resulting in civilian casualties and preventing the ICRC team in Donetsk from carrying out its humanitarian work. "We once again call on all …
Ukraine crisis: ICRC activities between October 2014 and January 2015
Food, water, household items and materials The ICRC: delivered more than 2,000 tonnes of aid to areas not controlled by the Ukrainian government in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, including food and …
How did the ICRC help people affected by conflict in Lebanon during 2014?
The ICRC has been present in Lebanon since 1967 and, together with the Lebanese Red Cross, its primary humanitarian partner, has carried out its humanitarian work throughout the civil war and various …
Violence and the Use of Force
The line separating disturbances and tensions from armed conflict can sometimes be blurred and the only way to categorize specific situations is by examining each individual case. This categorization …
The ICRC Advisory Service on international humanitarian law
As a specialized structure of the ICRC, the Advisory Service assists States to implement IHL at the national level. With a global network of legal advisers, the Service provides guidance to national …
International humanitarian law in domestic law
For the treaties of international humanitarian law (IHL) and other relevant instruments to be accepted worldwide, national governments must formally adopt them by the process of ratification or …
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ICRC library
Created in 1863, the ICRC library, alongside the ICRC archives, provides an indispensable documentary reference on the organization itself and international humanitarian law.
IHL treaties
International humanitarian law is based on a number of treaties, in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, and a series of other instruments.
Customary IHL
Customary international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.