Somalia: Healthy herds help communities survive
In a crowded pen made of thorny shrub brushes and twigs, a herder pulls away a sheep and holds it long enough for Saamiya Mohamed to inject it with a dose of vitamins and anti-parasitic medicine. The …
Skip to main content
Search results
Australia: Working with militaries to ensure humane treatment of detainees
Detainees are among the most vulnerable populations in armed conflict situations. Amid the violence and volatility of war, they are in danger of disappearing, of being tortured, mistreated and may …
Lebanon: Did you know that wars have rules?
When we went to the streets to ask about the rules of war, we realised that you don't have to be an expert to know that even wars have …
A world-class wheelchair basketball coach to train the team of South Sudan
09-01-2017 At the invitation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Jess Markt, a wheelchair basketball coach for people with disabilities is coming from the United States, and will …
Executive brief on ICRC in Myanmar
The ICRC's 30th anniversary of work in Myanmar was marked in 2016. While activities and areas of operations have changed over this time, our commitment to the people of Myanmar, and especially to …
Philippines: Conflict-affected families rebuild their communities through cash-for-work
In Barangay Togoron, Monreal in Masbate, workers construct a river wall to prevent flash floods and erosion from damaging houses. Photo by ICRC/J. Angolluan The cash-for-work program aimed at …
Catalogue of publications and films in Arabic
The catalogue presents a comprehensive list of publications and films available in Arabic. Each entry is in Arabic and English and gives the publication or film's reference number and website link. …
ICRC digital tools for IHL promotion
The ICRC provides a number of digital tools for teaching and learning international humanitarian law. The digital tools range from treaty and customary law databases, academic and reference …
Headquarters staff in Geneva
Why are your headquarters in Geneva? What was to become the International Committee of the Red Cross met for the first time in February 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland. Among the five members was a local …
"I can see that they are loved" - A photojournalist reconnects with two Rwandan orphans
It has been two years since photographer Nadia Shira Cohen met two young orphans reunited by the ICRC with their grandmother in Rwanda. Last August, she went back to see how their lives had changed. …
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.