International humanitarian law (IHL) aims to limit the effects of armed conflict for humanitarian reasons. It does so by placing limits on the means and methods of warfare, with a view to limiting the destructive effects of war. IHL does not speak to the legitimacy or legality of going to war, nor does it address how parties to an armed conflict may go about restoring peace. While distinct from peacebuilding, IHL can support pathways toward peace, as certain obligations extend beyond armed conflict and remain relevant in post-conflict settings.
As a humanitarian organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – together with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (‘the Movement’) - works to protect and promote respect for human dignity, which serves as a foundation for sustainable peace. While the ICRC is not a peacebuilding organization, it advocates for peace as a humanitarian actor intimately aware of the horrors of conflict. As conflicts become more prolonged and lethal the ICRC sees a humanitarian imperative to making a renewed call for peace and to exploring its own role in the ecosystem of actors that contribute to making peace possible.
Organized by the ICRC, this event will therefore bring together experts to reflect on the relationship between IHL and peace, between humanitarian action and peace, and to frame a discussion on the history, role, and limits of each.
- International sign language interpretation will be provided at this event. -