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 fighting (civilians, medics, aid workers) and those who can no longer fight (wounded, sick and shipwrecked troops, prisoners of war). Links to selected resources.

Adopted on 8 June 1977, Protocols I and II are international treaties that supplement the Geneva Conventions of 1949. They significantly improve the legal protection covering civilians and the wounded, and - for the first time - lay down detailed humanitarian rules that apply in civil wars.

States party to the main IHL and other related treaties: Protection of Victims of Armed Conflicts - International Criminal Court - Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict - Environment - Weapons

The main instruments of international humanitarian law are the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 for the protection of war victims. These treaties protect the wounded, the sick, the shipwrecked, prisoners of war and civilians. However, the Conventions left gaps in important areas, such as the conduct of hostilities and protection of civilians from the effects of hostilities. To remedy these shortcomings, two Protocols were adopted in 1977.

The four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Protocol 1 of 1977 each have a definition of what constitutes grave breaches.

This publication has been updated, slightly restructured and now includes a number of treaties that have been adopted since its last update in 1996. This volume is a collection of treaties regulating the conduct of hostilities. This body of law is of particular importance in alleviating the effects of armed conflict in that it regulates and limits the choice of methods and means of warfare used by the parties to the conflict.

Intended for academics, students, legal profession, ICRC delegations and Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies.

The 1949 Geneva Conventions neither provided for adequate protection of the civilian population against the effects of hostilities, nor did they cover modern forms of warfare. The work of the Diplomatic Conference on the Reaffirmation and Development of International Humanitarian Law applicable in Armed Conflicts, held in Geneva from 1974 to 1977, resulted in the adoption of two Protocols additional to the Geneva Conventions.

The four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 are international treaties, ratified or acceded to by virtually all States. They protect the wounded and sick in armed forces in the field; wounded, sick and shipwrecked members of armed forces at sea; prisoners of war; and civilians who find themselves under the rule of a foreign power in the event of international conflict.

A number of legal experts took part in this collective work, written with the collaboration of Jean Pictet.

This is not an abridged commentary on the Conventions and their Additional Protocols, but a summary of their main provisions, with references to the relevant articles. For all categories of readers.

The four volumes of the Commentary were published between 1952 and 1959. This imposing work is intended for specialists and specialized institutions.

The four volumes of the Commentary were published between 1952 and 1959. This imposing work is intended for specialists and specialized institutions.

The four volumes of the Commentary were published between 1952 and 1959. This imposing work is intended for specialists and specialized institutions.

The four volumes of the Commentary were published between 1952 and 1959. This imposing work is intended for specialists and specialized institutions.

Knut Dörmann, head of the ICRC's Legal Division, weighs in on the challenges facing the rules of war today and on the organization's ongoing efforts to ensure that the Conventions continue to stand the test of time.

Round table on the theme "International Humanitarian Law at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Challenges and Prospects". Includes video extracts.

Statement by Jakob Kellenberger, president of the ICRC, to the conference on the challenges for IHL posed by new threats, new actors and new means and methods of war, organized by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the ICRC, Geneva, 9-10 November 2009.

Ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Address by Jakob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC, Geneva, 12 August 2009.

Ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Address by Philip Spoerri, Director of International Law, ICRC

Address by Knut Dörmann, Head of the Legal Division, International Committee of the Red Cross, , London, 9 July 2009

Address by Christine Beerli, ICRC Vice-President, London, 9 July 2009

United Nations, General Assembly, 63rd session, Sixth Committee, Item 76. Statement by the ICRC, New York, 24 October 2008

30th Anniversary of the 1977 Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions. Opinion editorial by Philip Spoerri, ICRC Director for International Law and Cooperation within the Movement.

When the last two remaining States signed up to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the treaties achieved universal recognition as the principal legal basis for protecting victims of war. But, says the ICRC’s top legal adviser, Jean-Philippe Lavoyer, much remains to be done to achieve universal compliance.

Series of photos illustrating rules laid down by the 1977 protocols additional to the Geneva Conventions, which aim to limit the suffering of people affected by armed conflict.

Legislation for Common Law States on the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 and 2005 Additional Protocols

Adopted in 1977, the two protocols additional to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 extend and strengthen the protection provided by International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to the victims of international (Protocol I) and non-international (Protocol II) armed conflict.

These rules, drawn up by the ICRC, summarize the essence of international humanitarian law. They do not have the authority of a legal instrument and in no way seek to replace the treaties in force. They were drafted with a view to facilitating the promotion of the law.

Extract from ICRC publication "International humanitarian law: answers to your questions"