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Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949.

Commentary - Art. 8. Annex II : Draft regulations concerning collective relief

ARTICLE 8

. -- OTHER METHODS OF ALLOCATING

COLLECTIVE RELIEF

The draft regulations are intended to make the method of allocating relief as efficient and fair as possible. However, a traditional feature of relief actions is that they must not be hindered except by insurmountable obstacles due to the circumstances of the moment and then only for so long as those circumstances subsist. It would not be right for regulations of any kind to introduce extra difficulties and [p.645] to hinder the application of the right to relief given in Article 108

of the Convention. It is for that reason that the Article reserves the right to distribute relief outside the framework provided by these regulations. In particular, the Internee Committees, which normally carry out this work, cannot do so when internees are in course of transfer or before they are installed in a properly administered place of internment. The Protecting Power, the International Committee of the Red Cross and any other humanitarian body coming to the assistance of internees therefore remain entitled in special cases to decide whether and how

relief should be distributed.