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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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 …
Air and naval warfare
International humanitarian law covers all armed conflicts – on land, at sea or in the air. Nevertheless, some treaty and customary law applies specifically to naval and aerial warfare. Highlights War …
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 …
National implementation of IHL: Documentation
States party to international humanitarian law treaties must take certain legal and administrative measures to comply with the obligations they have undertaken. This section deals with various topics …
IHL and Islamic Law
The interplay between international humanitarian law (IHL) and Islamic law of war Islamic law of war In our engagement with communities affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence, …
Weapons in outer space
While space objects have been employed for military purposes since the dawn of the space era, the weaponization of outer space would increase the likelihood of hostilities taking place there, with …
Methods and means of warfare
International law regulates the methods and means of warfare. There are restrictions on weapons, on their use and on conduct. The principle of distinction requires parties to distinguish between …
Counterterrorism and sanctions
Terrorism is a live threat in today’s world – and one that causes immeasurable human suffering. The international community has worked to confront this threat through a patchwork of counterterrorism …
Sexual violence
Rape and other forms of sexual violence are prohibited in armed conflict under international humanitarian law. The ICRC works to prevent this crime and support survivors . Sexual violence and the law …
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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.