Lebanon: Faces from Arsal
CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Kristof Walgrave CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Kristof Walgrave CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Kristof Walgrave CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Kristof Walgrave CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Kristof Walgrave CC …
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ICRC's statement at Habitat III
Plenary statement by the ICRC at Habitat III, given by Hugo Slim, head of Policy at the International Committee of the Red Cross, 17-20 October 2016, Quito, Ecuador Your Excellencies, Ladies and …
Speech by ICRC president to African Union Peace and Security Council
Speech by Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, to the African Union Peace and Security Council, on involuntary displacement and migration and the obligation to …
Democratic Republic of the Congo: The villagers of Ziralo talk about the impact of the conflict
Violence is the constant backdrop to life in Ziralo, a group of seven villages in the Congolese province of South Kivu. The people of Tushunguti, like those of neighbouring villages, must regularly …
The laws of war in a nutshell
The rules of war, or international humanitarian law (as it is known formally) are a set of international rules that set out what can and cannot be done during an armed conflict. The main purpose of …
10 things the rules of war do
The rules of war, also known as international humanitarian law: Protect those who are not fighting, such as civilians, medical personnel or aid workers. Protect those who are no longer able to fight, …
Workshop: Incorporating international humanitarian law into domestic legislation
The 2nd Regional Legislative Drafting Workshop on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 4-5 October 2016. The Colombo Delegation of the International Committee of the …
Essay competition: The growing trend of violence perpetrated by patient relatives in health-care settings – why?
Violence against health-care has been a growing humanitarian issue with long-term and widespread effects. Attacks against health-care workers, hospitals and ambulances cause disruption in their …
Indonesia and Timor-Leste: Facts and figures, 2015
During 2015, the ICRC focused on helping people restore contact with their families, promoting humanitarian law, supporting treatment for cataract sufferers and working with the Indonesian Red Cross. …
Ethiopia: Joint production of a police training video for the Ethiopian police
The ICRC supports the Ethiopian police with training to reinforce national and international standards pertaining to arrest, detention and the proportionate use of force. This collaboration with 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.