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 …
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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 …
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 …
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 …
Protected persons: Prisoners of war and detainees
The Third Geneva Convention protects prisoners of war. It defines their rights and sets out detailed rules for their treatment and release. International humanitarian law also protects other people …
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 …
Protected persons: Internally displaced persons
The ICRC's long-standing work addressing internal displacement globally is guided by our mandate to protect the lives and dignity of people affected by armed conflict and other violence. We focus on …
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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.