Occupation
Recent years have seen an increase in extraterritorial military action. Some of these interventions have given rise to new forms of foreign military presence in the territory of a state, and these …
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Customary IHL
Customary international humanitarian law (IHL) consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and exist independent of treaty law. Customary IHL is of crucial importance in …
Protected persons: Women
International humanitarian law aims to prevent and alleviate suffering in war without discrimination based on sex. That means that women’s needs must be accounted for. Highlight General and Specific …
Protected persons: The wounded, the sick and health-care providers
Protecting the sick and wounded in armed conflict was the founding principle of the 1864 Geneva Convention. That principle remained the core of international humanitarian law as it extended to other …
Cultural property
The law protects cultural property during armed conflict. That protection stems from the principle that damage to the cultural property of any people, in the words of the 1954 Hague Convention, is …
Legal review of weapons
International humanitarian law limits both the choice of weapons and the means and methods of warfare. So when developing or acquiring new weapons, states should determine whether they comply with …
Other bodies of law protecting persons affected by violence
IHL and other legal regimes are complementary in armed conflicts. They are, however, distinct and separate, especially jus in bello (or IHL), which regulates the way war is conducted, and jus ad …
Work for the ICRC
Working in the humanitarian sector is both rewarding and challenging. If this is the career path that you see yourself on, keep reading. This flyer will help you understand how the International …
New technologies and warfare
Technological developments have given rise to new methods and means of warfare, such as cyber attacks, armed drones and robots, raising novel humanitarian and legal challenges. New technologies, new …
Protected persons: Missing persons
Many people go missing in war, causing anguish and uncertainty for their families and friends. People have the right to know what has happened to their missing loved ones. Governments, armed forces …
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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.