ICRC policy documents
Policy documents ensure that the ICRC is consistent over time and that we are predictable and credible in our work. These documents, adopted by the ICRC Assembly , take into account the external …
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The short road to self-employment in Somalia: ICRC vocational training
In Somalia, decades of conflict and natural calamities have frustrated the normal coping strategies of its otherwise resilient population. To mitigate the impact of recurrent shocks to Somali …
The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols
The 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 …
Study on customary international humanitarian law: all language versions of the summary article and list of rules
This page contains, free of charge, electronic copies of all language versions of an article, published in English in the International Review of the Red Cross, No. 857, 31 March 2005. The article …
Strengthening Compliance with IHL – Preparatory discussion, December 2013
Preparatory Discussion in view of the Third Meeting of States on Strengthening Compliance with IHL of mid-2014 Reporting and Thematic Discussions on IHL and Overview of a Meeting of States December …
Detention in non-international armed conflict: Consultations with government experts, 2012-2013
In 2012-2013, the ICRC held four regional consultations with government experts from across Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Asia Pacific and Middle East. In total, the consultations …
Cameroon Red Cross Society celebrates 50th anniversary
For a half century, the Cameroon Red Cross Society (CRCS) has been providing humanitarian assistance – responding swiftly to crises and steadily to daily needs. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in …
Water and habitat: Protecting health and dignity in prisons
ICRC water and habitat staff work with prison authorities and inmates to ensure that prison infrastructure provides healthy, dignified …
Water and habitat: Responding to emergencies
People arrive in IDP or refugee camps in desperate need of food, water and shelter. ICRC water and habitat staff build safe, healthy places for them to stay, working alongside them. Our massive …
Sexual violence in armed conflict: Addressing the causes and the consequences
The ICRC has committed itself to reinforcing its response to sexual violence in armed conflicts. Our director of operations, Pierre Krahenbuhl, talks about the appalling and brutal nature of sexual …
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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.