The Arms Trade Treaty: Keeping the promise
The Arms Trade Treaty is a historic response to the human suffering caused by the widespread availability of weapons both during and after armed conflicts. For the first time ever in an international …
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Water and habitat: Delivering life-saving water in the countryside
Water in rural areas is often scarce, poor in quality and difficult to collect, especially during a conflict. This year, we’re marking the 30th anniversary of the ICRC’s Water and Habitat Unit . …
Strengthening Compliance with IHL – Second Meeting of States on Strengthening Compliance with IHL, June 2013
Second Meeting of States on Strengthening Compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) June 17/18, 2013 Geneva Background Document May 2013 Contents 1. Introduction …
From our archives: protecting prisoners and detainees
Germany, First World War. British prisoners of war in a camp – time for soup. In August 1914, the ICRC set up the International Prisoner of War Agency in Geneva to centralize information management …
Democratic Republic of the Congo: The survivors
Decades of fighting in eastern DRC have had horrific consequences, including the widespread rape of women, men and children. Every year, the obstetric unit of Panzi Hospital, Bukavu, treats hundreds …
Democratic Republic of the Congo: The survivors
Decades of fighting in eastern DRC have had horrific consequences, including the widespread rape of women, men and children. Every year, the obstetric unit of Panzi Hospital, Bukavu, treats hundreds …
Caring for the physically disabled in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
A recent visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea by the president of the ICRC, Peter Maurer, provided an opportunity to discuss the ICRC's response to humanitarian needs in the country …
Preventing and Repressing International Crimes: Towards an "Integrated" Approach Based in Domestic Practice – Report of the Third Universal Meeting of National Committees for the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law
The report, based primarily on national practice, offers a pragmatic approach to the prevention and suppression of international crimes, paying particular attention to the Statute of the …
Burundi: Helping brothers and sisters find each other
In the chaos and violence of conflict, loved ones often get separated. This video shows the work of a Burundi Red Cross volunteer helping families to find each other. In 2012, the Burundi Red Cross …
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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.