Cyber and information operations
The use of cyber operations as means or methods of warfare in armed conflicts poses a real risk of harm to civilians. It is essential to understand how international humanitarian law protects …
The use of cyber operations as means or methods of warfare in armed conflicts poses a real risk of harm to civilians. It is essential to understand how international humanitarian law protects …
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. …
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 …
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 …
Under international humanitarian law, children affected by armed conflict are entitled to special respect and protection. Highlight Children should be at school, not at war From our archives: …
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 …
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 …
Family members can become separated or go missing as a result of conflict, disaster, along a migratory route or during other situations requiring a humanitarian response. We at the ICRC restore and …
Armed conflicts are increasingly fought in urban areas, but often with weapon systems that were originally designed for use in open battlefields. When used in populated areas, explosive weapons with …
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, …
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Created in 1863, the ICRC library, alongside the ICRC archives, provides an indispensable documentary reference on the organization itself and international humanitarian law.
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 international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.