Mosul: People have the right to flee
As fighting intensifies in Mosul, one million people may try to leave and will urgently need food, water and shelter. We are on the ground ready to help immediately. Here is our presence in …
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Health care in South Sudan: Beating the odds
Decades of violence in South Sudan have shattered hopes for a functional medical system. The Waat Primary Health Care Center we support was originally supposed to provide services to some 45,000 …
Nigeria: ICRC President Maurer and Nigerian President Buhari discuss humanitarian needs
17-10-2016 Abuja (ICRC) – Wrapping up a four-day visit to Nigeria, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, met today with Nigerian President Muhammedu …
Brazil: "Messengers of Memory"
"The first memory is of the disappeared, but the second memory is of our search for them." A loved one gone missing will remain with family members for the rest of their lives, and their search …
Ethiopia: Joint production of a police training video for the Ethiopian police
The ICRC supports the Ethiopian police with training to reinforce national and international standards pertaining to arrest, detention and the proportionate use of force. This collaboration with the …
Indonesia and Timor-Leste: Facts and figures, 2015
During 2015, the ICRC focused on helping people restore contact with their families, promoting humanitarian law, supporting treatment for cataract sufferers and working with the Indonesian Red Cross. …
Essay competition: The growing trend of violence perpetrated by patient relatives in health-care settings – why?
Violence against health-care has been a growing humanitarian issue with long-term and widespread effects. Attacks against health-care workers, hospitals and ambulances cause disruption in their …
Workshop: Incorporating international humanitarian law into domestic legislation
The 2nd Regional Legislative Drafting Workshop on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 4-5 October 2016. The Colombo Delegation of the International Committee of the …
10 things the rules of war do
The rules of war, also known as international humanitarian law: Protect those who are not fighting, such as civilians, medical personnel or aid workers. Protect those who are no longer able to fight, …
The laws of war in a nutshell
The rules of war, or international humanitarian law (as it is known formally) are a set of international rules that set out what can and cannot be done during an armed conflict. The main purpose of …
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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.