The stench of blood and burned human flesh is etched in my memory. Snapshots of adults and children with horrifying injuries are omnipresent in my dreams. I am a war surgeon. For more than twenty …
Sexual violence is a widely under-reported phenomenon. Victims are reluctant to come forward to report incidents, talk about their experiences and seek help. This is because of the lack of a safe and …
In a speech to UK fundraisers the director general of the ICRC has detailed his vision of the vital work the Red Cross Movement will be required to carry out globally over the next decade. "In many …
Inside an isolated straw hut on a dried-up riverbed, Abdullahi Mohamud sits with three of his youngest children. Despair covers his face. There is no food left in the house. "The ones you see here …
The peace agreement signed between the government and the FARC-EP has brought no respite for people living in the region of Catatumbo, Norte de Santander, in north-eastern Colombia . Far from a …
Statement 40th Anniversary of the Additional Protocols: Setting the Scene 34th Annual Seminar for Diplomats Accredited to the UN, New York, Statement by Philip Spoerri, Permanent observer of the ICRC …
It's never been easier to develop and use biological weapons. An attacker could use diseases such as flu or ebola. It's time to take this seriously. Governments need to assess the new risks, enforce …
Traineeship – Public communication support Public Communication Division International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) The Public Communication Division provides advice and support to ICRC …
The smell of rubber and other chemicals welcomes visitors when entering the small workshop of the Hpa-an Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Centre (HORC). Zaw Zaw Aung is weighing chemicals on a balance. He …
In Tajikistan, the ICRC is helping people affected by the past civil conflict in partnership with the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan. Here are our main activities in 2016: 314 families of the …
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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.
