Changing the narrative on IHL
On 27 September 2017, the ICRC convened a live-streamed panel of experts at the Humanitarium to discuss how to change the narrative on international humanitarian law (IHL), by thinking of new ways of …
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Urban Services during Protracted Armed Conflict
Urbanization is constantly on the rise, with cities already absorbing more than half of the world’s population and armed conflicts increasingly being fought in urban settings. Regions facing …
Why a radiant Spanish physiotherapist was so well loved
The International Committee of the Red Cross family remembers Spanish physiotherapist Lorena Enebral Perez, 38, a passionate and dedicated professional who was killed in Afghanistan on Sept. 11. The …
Somalia: Fishing trade sees boost from boat engines, freezers
The ocean breeze and endless waves lash the golden shores of the small coastal town of Eyl in northern Somalia. Located at the edge of a rocky landscape, this old town feels hidden from the rest of …
International Review of the Red Cross - War and security at sea
The International Review of the Red Cross is pleased to announce the online launch of its new edition on "War and security at sea". This issue of the Review addresses not only the IHL …
Greece snapshot: January–August 2017
Some 18,000 migrants have crossed from Turkey into the Aegean islands since the beginning of 2017. Οne in three people arriving in Greece is from Syria, followed by Iraqis and Afghans. The ICRC …
Day of the Disappeared: 26 years on, over 10,000 people still missing
On 30 August, a photo exhibition to mark the International Day of the Disappeared was organized in the City Assembly of Belgrade. The deeply moving exhibition featured personal belongings of people …
Profile of an ICRC delegate - What we are looking for
ICRC delegates are deployed all over the world to contribute to the organization's mandate and mission of ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other …
South Sudan: Helping to improve the lives of people with disabilities
Rumbek Physical Rehabilitation Centre (PRC) was opened in 2004 by Medical Care Development International, which ended its project in 2010, handing it over to the Government. The ICRC has supported …
Maintaining humanity during armed conflict: Boris Michel at Colombo Defence Seminar
Boris Michel, the ICRC's regional director for Asia and the Pacific, was in Sri Lanka recently for an annual seminar organized by the Ministry of Defence. The high-level seminar was attended by …
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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.