Emblems of Humanity
This brochure is designed to acquaint the general audience with the red cross, red crescent and red crystal emblems, and to emphasize the importance of respecting them. It explains the protective …
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South Sudan: Hundreds of thousands face critical food shortage
Geneva/Juba (ICRC) – Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese face severe food shortages and an alarming hunger situation after two years of fighting in the country, the International Committee of the …
Australia: Challenges of principled humanitarian action
In November 2015, the ICRC and Deakin University gathered representatives from humanitarian organizations for a closed roundtable in Melbourne on the costs and challenges of adhering to the …
Roots of Behaviour in War: ICRC seeks researchers
What factors condition behaviour in armed conflict? What is the distance between knowing IHL and respecting it? What leads a combatant to comply with the law or not? Ten years after the publication …
Report: Sexual violence in armed conflict: Underlying causes and prevention strategies
Building on the previous panel discussion " Responding to sexual violence in conflict: can we do better ?", the ICRC and the Geneva Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action (CERAH) …
E-briefing: Sexual violence in armed conflict
Sexual violence has been, and to a large extent continues to be, shrouded in silence. However, its prevalence and horrific toll on individuals and societies, as well as the dynamics behind it, have …
The emblems
The red cross, red crescent and red crystal emblems provide protection for military medical services and relief workers in armed conflicts. Moreover, the emblems are also used by National Societies …
Jordan: Syrian refugees hope for a better future
Thousands of refugees have fled to Jordan to escape the Syrian conflict. Many have endured heartbreaking ordeals in Syria—only to face more struggles as refugees in Jordan. Resettlement can be a …
Torture and other forms of ill-treatment: The definitions used by the ICRC
Numerous documents on the ICRC website and elsewhere set out the ICRC's position on torture and ill-treatment, and the measures we are taking to put an end to these practices. But any discussion of …
32nd International Conference: Resolutions and reports
The 32nd International Conference, held in Geneva from 8-10 December, brought together representatives from 169 Governments, 185 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International …
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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.