The environment and warfare
International humanitarian law protects the natural environment and aims to limit the damage caused to it during war. Highlight Is it ever justifiable to damage nature when waging war? Can nature be …
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Anti-personnel landmines
Anti-personnel mines continue to maim and kill even after conflicts end – and it is mainly civilians who suffer the horrific consequences. Highlight Why the Mine Ban Convention was worth fighting for …
Explosive remnants of war
Every year, large numbers of civilians are killed or injured by explosive remnants of war, a term that refers to the unexploded ordnance – such as shells, grenades and bombs – left behind after a …
Human rights law
International humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law are two distinct but complementary bodies of law. They are both concerned with the protection of life, health and dignity. IHL …
Food security
Nowhere are the consequences of the global food crisis felt more than in countries already facing humanitarian crises and torn apart by decades of warfare or instability. International humanitarian …
Military operations in space
Despite the international community’s long-term desire to explore and use space for peaceful purposes, military use of space and space objects has been an integral part of contemporary warfare for …
Compliance with IHL
Working with states and parties to conflict to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law is at the core of our mandate under the Geneva Conventions. IHL in action IHL in action: Respect …
Detention
The Third Geneva Convention protects prisoners of war. It establishes their rights and sets out detailed rules for their treatment and release. International humanitarian law also protects other …
Conduct of hostilities and protection of civilians
International law regulates the methods and means of warfare. It aims to strike a balance between legitimate military objectives and the humanitarian objective of reducing suffering, particularly …
Protected persons
International humanitarian law protects a wide range of people and objects during armed conflict. The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols protect sick, wounded and shipwrecked people …
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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.