ICRC and China should enhance cooperation in humanitarian affairs
China is a party to the Geneva Conventions and a full partner in dialogue with the ICRC, says ICRC president Peter Maurer in an interview with …
Skip to main content
Search results
Afghanistan: ICRC trains communities to manage water supplies
Conflict, drought and mismanagement are depriving people of water. The ICRC is training communities to operate and maintain their own water pumps and systems, ensuring that they enjoy a reliable …
Syria: How much longer?
19-03-2016 Joint statement by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Syrian Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross. This week marks five …
Philippines: Inside Aurora Provincial Jail – a glimpse of life behind bars
The ICRC has been improving sanitation and water supply in Aurora Jail, working with the provincial government of Aurora. We've been been visiting the inmates of Aurora Provincial Jail since 1992 and …
Gaza: Paving the way for more humanity in times of war
At a time when humanitarian action is facing mounting challenges across the Middle East, international humanitarian law urgently needs to be better known, understood and respected. Engaging with …
Afghanistan: We are the ones who remain
For over 30 years, the people of Afghanistan have lived in a state of near-constant violence. With almost one million displaced within their own country and countless others on the move, no segment …
Afghanistan: "Humanitarian concerns are growing, yet international attention is dwindling" says ICRC president
18-03-2016 Kabul / Geneva - The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, has said he is increasingly concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in …
Afghanistan: Portraits of prison
© ICRC / VII / J. Nachtwey / v-p-af-e-01453 © ICRC / VII / J. Nachtwey / v-p-af-e-01458 © ICRC / VII / J. Nachtwey / v-p-af-e-01459 © ICRC / VII / J. Nachtwey / v-p-af-e-01460 © ICRC / VII / J. …
Lebanon: Coping with the disappearance of loved ones
During the 15-year-long Lebanese war that ended in 1990, thousands of people went missing throughout the country. Today their fate is still unknown. For more than 40 years, the families of these …
Honduras: Facilitating health care in detention
Tegucigalpa (ICRC) – Honduras's National Penitentiary Institute (INP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today inaugurated a medical clinic in Gracias prison in the region of …
Didn’t find what you were looking for?
Try one of the following resources:
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.