"Today, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen, we are witnessing a global and collective failure to protect civilians in armed conflicts" says ICRC president …
On this Women’s Day, we bring to you the story of Chawan Muhammed, a 33-year-old from Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She serves as an inspiration to her peers as she continues to support her …
When explosive weapons are used in populated areas, the direct impact of such weapons' blast and fragmentation is immediate: civilian casualties, injuries, and damage to buildings. Yet, there are …
Port-au-Prince (ICRC) – A sharp increase in the number of wounded people has put enormous pressure on the few functioning hospitals in Haiti`s capital, Port-au-Prince, as they run dangerously low on …
By Miguel Ramírez, head of operations of the ICRC in Mexico Diana Gutiérrez's mother Adulfa is 81 years old and disappeared on 13 September 2016 in the State of Mexico. Her daughter and other …
The violence in Mexico is deep, complex, and constantly evolving, yet humanitarian needs persist. We work to protect and assist those affected by violence, including families of missing persons, …
The legal classification of armed conflict – determining whether a situation of violence is an international armed conflict (IAC) or a non-international armed conflict (NIAC) under international …
Fatsuma, a 40-year-old mother, managed to escape an attack on her village, along with her four children, 10 years ago. Today, she is striving to cater for her children in displacement, but the …
We collaborate closely with the Costa Rican government to promote the implementation, development, and respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) and applicable international standards for law …
Squatting on the sandy ground, a young girl is weaving grass stems into a roof. The tiny hut she is making is surrounded by tens of thousands of others like it, made hastily of sticks and leaves …
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Created in 1863, the ICRC library, alongside the ICRC archives, provides an indispensable documentary reference on the organization itself and international humanitarian law.
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 international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.
