The principle of ensuring safe access to medical treatment must be upheld by all – in particular by sparing the lives and allowing the treatment of wounded individuals from the opposing camp. All …
Security in the field is a vital element of any humanitarian operation. It involves many interconnected areas and aspects, and must be addressed as a whole, taking account of the area where one is …
By supporting the Philippines' Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to enhance its human resource management through a five-year strategic plan, the ICRC hopes to help them put the right people at …
"I suffered for three years without a piece of my heart," says Mohammad Shah as tears flow freely down his bearded face. The 65-year-old has not forgotten the last time he held his son Faisal Hanafi …
On the occasion of the 2021 International Day of Education, the ICRC and other organizations launched the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies on 25 January. This initiative is based on a …
The novel coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented crisis that has impacted the lives of over 62 million people worldwide so far, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Challenged with …
Statement Statement to High-Level Ceremony marking the entry into force of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) As delivered by ICRC President Peter Maurer Excellencies, …
By Robert Mardini, Director-General, International Committee of the Red Cross The vile suffering that poison gas inflicted on the soldiers of World War I so horrified the world that chemical weapons …
On 22 January 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has entered into force as the first instrument of international humanitarian law to mitigate the catastrophic humanitarian …
The date 22 January marks a victory for humanity. That’s the day the Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons enters into force, the day that nuclear weapons become prohibited. On this day, the world’s …
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Created in 1863, the ICRC library, alongside the ICRC archives, provides an indispensable documentary reference on the organization itself and international humanitarian law.
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 international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.
