How does law protect in war?
Cases, documents and teaching materials on contemporary practice in international humanitarian law. A selection of nearly three hundred case studies provides university professors, practitioners and …
Skip to main content
Search results
The ICRC appeals for 2.4 billion Swiss francs for its operations in 2022
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is appealing for 2.4 billion Swiss francs to help it meet the humanitarian needs of people affected by armed conflicts and other situations of …
International Humanitarian Law Bibliography
The ICRC International Humanitarian Law Bibliography lists references to publications in English and French on international humanitarian law. The bibliography is based on books and other material in …
Limits on Autonomy in Weapon Systems
There is wide recognition that the need to preserve human control over weapon systems and the use of force in armed conflict will require limits on autonomous weapon systems. This report from the …
Inclusive programming in ICRC operations: Final assessment report
This evaluation, completed in January 2021, assessed the most effective ways that the ICRC should implement "Inclusive Programming". This means ensuring that people and their needs are at the centre …
Report: Protracted conflict and humanitarian action
This report draws on some recent operational experiences of the ICRC to describe the theory and practice of the ICRC's approach to humanitarian assistance in protracted conflict. The ICRC spends …
Ready-to-use workshop on sexual violence in armed conflict
Group work on case studies from "How does law protect in war?" allows students to apply the Geneva Conventions to concrete issues related to sexual violence, such as criminal repression © ICRC / T. …
Report: Urban services during protracted armed conflict
50 million people in urban areas face protracted and repeated armed violence. The direct impact of conflict is visible and well understood, but there is less research into the cumulative, long-term …
ICRC 2024 Opinion Paper - How is the term "Armed Conflict" defined in international humanitarian law?
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 …
The International Committee of the Red Cross as guardian of international humanitarian law
The ICRC acts as the guardian of international humanitarian law, a complex role that is closely connected with its own foundation and was later formally entrusted to it by the international …
Didn’t find what you were looking for?
Try one of the following resources:
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.