Update of customary IHL database – July 2024
New update of the customary IHL database We have just updated the customary IHL database to include to include additional practice from Cambodia and Rwanda The database contains : the 161 rules of …
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ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric: “The immense destruction and despair should not let us forget that wars have rules”
As flagrant violations of international humanitarian law regularly occur, Mirjana Spoljaric asserts the relevance of the Geneva Conventions - setting clear limits to violence in war – and urgently …
Azerbaijan: Activity highlights for 2023
In 2023, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) carried out a wide range of activities, from increasing awareness about weapon contamination to supporting the authorities in clarifying …
Mozambique: New Ibo advanced health care centre offers essential care to 41,000 people in Ibo and coastal areas
23-02-2024 Maputo (ICRC) – The rehabilitation of Ibo health centre was completed this year and the facility started providing healthcare with surgical capabilities to 41,000 people on Ibo Islands and …
Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the ICRC 1987–1999
Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross from 1987 to 1999, died in Geneva on Sunday 18 February 2024. He was 91. In this article, Mirjana Spoljaric, current …
Protecting and Ensuring Safe Access to education: The ICRC’s Experience and Approach in Armed Conflict and Other Situations of Violence
This report provides an overview of what the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) does to protect and ensure safe access to education in places affected by armed conflict and other …
Russia-Ukraine: Overview of the ICRC’s response two years after the escalation of the armed conflict
As we mark two years since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict, people affected by ongoing hostilities share stories of resilience, despite the profound impact on their lives, …
Understanding People’s Needs: Guiding Principles for Multidisciplinary Needs Assessments
This document aims to facilitate a shared understanding of multidisciplinary needs assessments (MDNAs) by setting out a clear rationale and objectives for them. It also provides a framework for …
Remarks delivered by the Head of CTA Bureau at the United Nations Press briefing in Geneva.
Remarks by Dusan VUJASANIN, head of the ICRC Central Tracing Agency Bureau for the international armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine at the Palais media briefing in Geneva. Good …
Ethiopia: Health facilities lack supplies amid ongoing violence. Civilians struggle to rebuild livelihoods
20-02-2024 Addis Ababa (ICRC) – Northern regions of Ethiopia struggle to recover from the devastating legacy of the two-year armed conflict that gripped the country between November 2020 and November …
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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.