Nuclear weapons
Since the first and only use of nuclear weapons in 1945, the international community has wrestled with the issue of how the law of war applies to such weapons. For decades the discourse about nuclear …
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Afghanistan: Nine professionals break new ground in long-term physical rehabilitation
Having completed his bachelor's degree programme in prosthetics and orthotics, Afghanistan national Abdul Qadir Najm is raring to use his expertise to make life easier for those with disabilities. …
Beating club foot, one baby step at a time
Dr. Muhammad Khan The aim of the treatment is very clear – to help children with club feet gain complete mobility. But the parents play a huge role in making this a success. They have to ensure that …
World Mental Health Day: Families of Marawi missing suffer in silence
I want to know what happened to my son. “If he’s alive, I would be thankful; and if he’s dead, I would just be thankful for the fact that I know exactly what happened to him. If he’s dead, I hope I …
ASEAN diplomats discuss global trends, humanitarian challenges in contemporary warfare
Experts delivered presentations on the latest lethal autonomous weapons systems and the threat of cyber warfare. A recent regional conference on contemporary warfare in Jakarta was attended by close …
Ageing in imprisonment - Summary report
This report summarises the proceedings of the two-day meeting the ICRC organised in December 2016 on the needs of older prisoners. The meeting saw the participation of experts with practical …
Full of courage and grit, Afghan wheelchair basketballers go for the goal
Somaya Noori, 19 Thirteen years ago, Somaya was on her way to school when she stepped on a landmine and lost her right leg. “I want to raise awareness about the programme so that others don’t become …
ICRC visits Maia Otinashvili in Tskhinval/i prison
04-10-2018 Tbilisi (ICRC): The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Maia Otinashvili in Tskhinval/i prison on the evening of 3 October 2018. According to its mandate, the ICRC …
From virtual to real: Why ICRC is testing VR’s empathy generating potential
The ICRC is asking people around the world to watch our new VR film 'The Right Choice' to explore VR's empathy-generating potential. "We first noticed the power of immersive storytelling with the …
Book launch: Humanitarian Action and Ethics
Humanitarian action is perceived by many as a laudable endeavor, and as a duty to the less privileged, the politically forgotten, and the most vulnerable. Traditionally, humanitarian response has …
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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.