Sri Lanka: Responding to needs
The latest newsletter from the ICRC delegation in Sri Lanka features a variety of articles, including updates on our work in the country, how we're addressing the needs of families of missing …
Skip to main content
Search results
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Mother celebrates return of lost son
Ms Tabena is back with her only son after long years apart. He was one of 10 children rescued from different armies and armed groups whom the ICRC was able to return to their village in South Kivu …
Bangladesh: Saving lives amid the chaos of the emergency room
Trainers demonstrate how to carry out an initial assessment of a trauma patient newly arrived in the emergency room. CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Rufas Rafi Sircar An ambulance arrives, its alarm blaring. A …
Connecting with the past: The Fundamental Principles in critical historical perspective
For more than half a century, the Fundamental Principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality have underpinned the global humanitarian work …
Ukraine: The people of war-damaged Nikishyne prepare for winter
Nikishyne is a small village north-east of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. It suffered serious damage at the beginning of 2015 during fighting and almost everyone fled. They returned to find their homes …
Ukraine: ICRC helps schools affected by conflict
Many schools in eastern Ukraine have been affected by the armed conflict, with some damaged by shelling. And the conflict is not yet over, so schools still have to protect both students and teachers. …
Millions facing the cold of another bitter Syrian winter
Millions of displaced Syrians will spend a fifth bitterly cold winter in the unending Syrian crisis . All tell similarly sad stories of displacement from homes, fear of the biting cold and lack of …
Guinea: Wells bring drinking water to villages
In 2015, the ICRC dug 20 new water wells in rural Guinea and repaired 85 more. Thanks to our work, over 123,000 people in 90 villages now have access to clean, safe water. Water flowing again in …
Syria: Humanitarian assistance desperately needed in Madaya, Zabadani, Foua and Kefraya
The people of Syria are on their knees. The economy has collapsed, essential infrastructure like water and power networks are hanging by a thread, and on top of that a very cold winter is bearing …
An opportunity to reduce human suffering: An ICRC perspective of the World Humanitarian Summit
The World Humanitarian Summit, taking place on 23-24 May 2016 in Istanbul, will bring together for the first time ever all internatonal humanitarian stakeholders to discuss and reshape humanitarian …
Didn’t find what you were looking for?
Try one of the following resources:
ICRC library
Created in 1863, the ICRC library, alongside the ICRC archives, provides an indispensable documentary reference on the organization itself and international humanitarian law.
IHL treaties
International humanitarian law is based on a number of treaties, in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, and a series of other instruments.
Customary IHL
Customary international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.