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News Section History of international humanitarian law ©ICRC/ref. HIST-D-00026
Signature of the Geneva Convention of 22 August 1864 - painting by Armand Dumaresq.
This leads to an awareness that humanitarian principles are common to all human communities wherever they may be. When different customs, ethics and philosophies are gathered for comparison, and when they are melted down, their particularities eliminated and only what is general extracted, one is left with a pure substance which is the heritage of all mankind. Jean Pictet, International Dimensions of Humanitarian Law The idea that mankind must be protected against the scourge of war can be found among all the peoples of Antiquity. It was only in the nineteenth century, however, that considerable efforts were undertaken to make war more humane. The decisive events were the creation of the ICRC in February 1863 and the signature, in August 1864, of the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Wounded in Armies in the Field, which signalled the birth of international humanitarian law.See also:  Key document1-1-2009 Significant dates in the history of international humanitarian law and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement(Focus\RC Movement\History) 1-1-2004 What are the origins of international humanitarian law? Extract from ICRC publication "International humanitarian law": answers to your questions (Humanitarian law\IHL in brief\History) International Review of the Red Cross31-12-2006 A la guerre comme à la guerre: patterns of armed conflict, humanitarian law responses and new challengesContinuous transformation of armed conflict since the adoption in 1864 of the first international humanitarian law treaty compels international humanitarian law to adapt accordingly. This article links those revisions to specific conflicts which laid bare deficiencies in the existing law. (Info resources\International Review\2006 - No. 864) International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-9-2005 Targeting the city: Debates and silences about the aerial bombing of World War IIThe article goes back to the early discussions of the morality of city bombing which took place before and during World War II and attempts to analyze both the moral argumentation and its historical context from the 1940s until today. (Info resources\International Review\2005 - No. 859) International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-9-2005 The International Committee of the Red Cross and nuclear weapons: From Hiroshima to the dawn of the 21st centuryThe question of the lawfulness of the use of nuclear weapons and that of their possible prohibition have therefore been the subject of repeated discussions since 1945, without any success being achieved. either in reaching a definitive conclusion as to their lawfulness or in
negotiating a general agreement to ban them. (Info resources\International Review\2005 - No. 859) International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-9-2002 Just war, war of aggression and international humanitarian lawThis article relates the history of the rules and principles adopted to limit violence, and of those prohibiting recourse to war. The author explains that the applicability of international humanitarian law does not depend on a war's causes, even in the case of a war of aggression, and that no discrimination is admissible regarding the law's application. (Info resources\International Review\2002 - No. 847) International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF International Review of the Red Cross 30-9-1999 The evolution of individual criminal responsibility under international law(Info resources\International Review\1999 - No. 835) International Review of the Red Cross 30-6-1999 The half-century of the Geneva Conventions(Info resources\International Review\1999 - No. 834) International Review of the Red Cross 30-6-1999 The Geneva Conventions of 1949: a decisive breakthrough(Info resources\International Review\1999 - No. 834) International Review of the Red Cross 30-6-1999 From the Second World War to the 1949 Diplomatic Conference(Info resources\International Review\1999 - No. 834) International Review of the Red Cross 30-6-1999 1949 and 1999: Making the Geneva Conventions relevant after the Cold War(Info resources\International Review\1999 - No. 834) International Review of the Red Cross 31-10-1997 Origin of the twin terms jus ad bellum/jus in bello(Info resources\International Review\1997 - No. 320) International Review of the Red Cross 30-6-1996 Fyodor Fyodorovich Martens (1845-1909) - a humanist of modern times(Info resources\International Review\1996 - No. 312) International Review of the Red Cross Legal article22-4-2009 From Solferino to the birth of contemporary international humanitarian lawThe early history of most institutions has been blurred by the passage of time. Even when their initial form can be clearly discerned, it often bears little resemblance to the institution as we know it today. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a striking exception - it can be traced back to a precise date, and its origins are relatively well known. This first phase is worth considering in detail, because it casts light on the entire subsequent development of the Red Cross. (About the ICRC\History\Founding) Legal article Includes PDF Official Statement12-8-2009 Sixty years of the Geneva Conventions: learning from the past to better face the futureCeremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Address by Jakob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC, Geneva, 12 August 2009. (Humanitarian law\Treaties and customary law) Official Statement 12-8-2009 The Geneva Conventions of 1949: origins and current significanceCeremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Address by Philip Spoerri, Director of International Law, ICRC (Humanitarian law\Treaties and customary law) Official Statement 28-11-2008 140th Anniversary of the 1868 St. Petersburg DeclarationSpeech by Jakob Kellenberger, president of the ICRC, International Conference on IHL dedicated to the 140th Anniversary of the 1868 St. Petersburg Declaration, St. Petersburg, 24 November 2008 (Humanitarian law\Weapons) Official Statement  |
