The Geneva Conventions and their Commentaries
The 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are international treaties that contain the most important rules limiting the barbarity of war. They protect people who do not take part in …
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Criminal repression of IHL violations
When violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) occur, states are under an obligation to prosecute alleged offenders. Domestic courts therefore play an important role in enforcing IHL and …
Arms transfers
The widespread and poorly regulated availability of weapons facilitates violations of international humanitarian law and hampers the delivery of assistance to victims. Strengthening and enforcing …
Autonomous weapons
Autonomous weapons are not a work of science fiction from a distant dystopian future. They are an immediate cause of humanitarian concern and demand an urgent, international political response. …
Protected persons: Persons with disabilities
International humanitarian law (IHL) includes provisions to protect people with disabilities during times of armed conflict and other violence. Highlights ICRC preparing for major expansion of sports …
Respect for IHL
States and other parties to armed conflict have an obligation to "respect and to ensure respect for" IHL "in all circumstances" (Art. 1 common to the Geneva Conventions). They must use their …
Strengthening IHL project
Between 2012 and 2015, the ICRC undertook two major consultation processes on strengthening legal protection for victims of armed conflict. These two processes have since moved into a new phase, …
Weapons and disarmament
International humanitarian law governs the choice of the means and methods of warfare and prohibits or restricts the use of certain weapons. The ICRC plays a leading role in the promotion and …
Protected persons: Civilians
Over the past 60 years, civilians have been the main victims of war. Protecting civilians and their property during armed conflict is therefore a cornerstone of international humanitarian law (IHL). …
Cluster munitions
Cluster munitions kill and injure large numbers of civilians and cause long-lasting socio-economic problems. The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and …
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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.