Azerbaijan: When dreams come true
Ramil Yusifov was sitting on the stairs in the yard of his house in Garalar village of Tovuz district, Azerbaijan, one day in 2017 when a gunshot hit his leg. He was only 14 years old. "We were all …
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“When I see my mum, I’m going to make up for all the hugs I’ve missed”: reuniting Javier with Irma
Irma* had not heard from her son, Javier*, for more than a year and assumed the worst. Her suspicions seemed about to be confirmed when, one afternoon in March 2022, two people wearing the Red Cross …
Ottawa Convention: "2025 was the aspirational deadline for achieving a mine‑free world. We still have a long way to go”
Statement Speech by Dr Gilles Carbonnier, vice-president of the ICRC at the 20th Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of …
Removing Embedded Ordnance From Patients
The presentation of patients with unexploded ordnance (UXO) or components thereof embedded in their bodies is an unusual, but not rare, occurrence in warfare. In civilian settings, it is rare but not …
Indonesia: Senior Workshop on International Rules governing Military Operations - SWIRMO
Indonesia hosts 15th edition of SWIRMO Indonesia hosts the 15th edition of the Senior Workshop on International Rules governing Military Operations (SWIRMO) from 20–26 November 2022. This is the …
Philippines: ICRC leaders say invisible scars remain in conflict areas
19-11-2022 Manila (ICRC) – As the Philippines and other countries around the world endorse a new political declaration calling for greater protection against explosive weapons in populated areas, the …
Milestone declaration brings hope that the immense suffering of civilians is no longer accepted as an inevitable by-product of warfare
Statement Statement of ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric on the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive …
Russia-Ukraine international armed conflict: ICRC offers lifesaving help to civilians
In an emergency, giving people money is often the best way to help them. So long as people have access to markets that are functioning, cash enables them to make their own decisions about what they …
The power of asking “How”: a key to understanding the development of IHL?
"How does international humanitarian law (IHL) develop?" is a question, seemingly simple, loaded with even more questions within it, touching upon the history of IHL, its current status and future …
Kenya: Unlocking opportunities for the youth through vocational training
When conflict, displacement and disasters become a fact of life in communities, education becomes a dreamer's trance for the youth in those communities. With no means of sustaining their livelihoods …
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Customary international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.