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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Kinshasa: A makeshift shop helps three brothers survive
Due to the violence that shook Kasai, Fiston*, 13, and Kévin, 8, were separated from their parents. They found their big brother Allain in Kinshasa and all three survive thanks to a small improvised …
Thailand: Connecting with youth and universities
Not only does the ICRC work at the frontlines and in emergencies, we also make efforts to connect with the youth. It is another way to make a difference. In Thailand, our teams found innovative ways …
More than a survivor: Young hairdresser in Myanmar is turning tragedy into hope
The word "victim" is not what you would associate with him at all if you didn't know his story. "What do you think about your haircut now?" Kyar Lawt asks his client as he dusts the snipped strands …
New research shows urban warfare 8 times more deadly for civilians in Syria and Iraq
01-10-2018 (Geneva) – One week after world leaders gathered to discuss Syria's upcoming reconstruction challenges, new figures from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) serve as a …
ICRC President: Sustained humanitarian action still needed in Myanmar and Bangladesh
27-09-2018 Speech to UNGA High-Level Event New York – Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), called on the international community to move out of political …
Sustained humanitarian action still needed in Myanmar and Bangladesh
ICRC President: Speech to UNGA High-Level Event ICRC President: Speech to High-Level Event on the Situation of the Rohingya Minority in Myanmar. As delivered. In late June this year I visited ICRC …
7 steps to strengthen health care in emergencies
ICRC President: Speech to UN General Assembly event on Universal Health Coverage in Emergencies Across the ICRC's operations, whether in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine or Nigeria we are seeing …
Urgency to rid the world of most destructive weapon ever created
ICRC statement to the High-level plenary meeting to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons The International Committee of the Red Cross (the ICRC) is very …
Mourning the missing, three decades on
Thirty years after the Bougainville crisis ended, the women of Central Bougainville still bear the emotional scars of the ten year conflict. Many of them lost husbands, sons, nephews and fathers. The …
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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.