IHL and Persons with Disabilities
International humanitarian law (IHL) is a set of rules that, in times of armed conflict, seeks – for humanitarian reasons – to protect persons who are not, or are no longer directly participating in …
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Amnesties and IHL: Purpose and Scope
States party to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol I of 1977 have an obligation to take measures necessary to suppress all acts contrary to their provisions. Moreover, States must …
Weapons: Statement of the ICRC to the United Nations, 2017
United Nations General Assembly, 72nd session, First Committee, General debate on all disarmament and international security agenda items. Statement by the ICRC. This year has seen extraordinary …
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, new violence leads to even more displacement
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa's second largest country, rich in mineral wealth. However, it is also one of the world's poorest – having been conflict-ridden for most of the last 20 …
Somalia: Urgent medical supplies reach hospitals for bomb blast victims
Mogadishu/Nairobi (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) have been responding to urgent needs following Saturday's explosion in …
E-briefing: Generating respect for the law
Caption: Chocó Department. An ICRC employee speaks to members of the ELN armed group about international humanitarian law and the obligation to protect the lives of the civilian population. How can …
Online training on the Law of Armed Conflict for non-State actors
This video series is an adapted version of an online training kit on the law of armed conflict designed for armed groups in the Middle East. It is part of the ICRC's training programs for weapon …
Peacekeeping operations: ICRC statement to the United Nations, 2017
Statement by the ICRC to the United Nations General Assembly, 72nd session, Fourth Committee, item 55 of the agenda. General debate on the comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping …
Attacks on our cultural property are attacks on our humanity
Historic monuments, works of art and archaeological sites – known as cultural property – are protected by the rules of war. Attacks against them are so much more than the destruction of bricks, wood …
Athens conference to mark 40th anniversary of 1977 Protocols additional to Geneva Conventions of 1949
Athens (ICRC) – Forty years ago, 124 States gathered in Switzerland to finalize and adopt Additional Protocols I and II to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which contain the most important rules limiting …
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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.