South Sudan: Talking about prisoners of war
According to the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), a prisoner of war (PoW) is generally a member of the regular armed forces of one country detained by another country, in relation to the armed …
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ICRC: Is the world ready to face a nuclear war? No. So let’s ban the bomb
11-02-2019 Geneva (ICRC-IFRC) – Seventy-four years after nuclear weapons obliterated the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the risk that nuclear weapons will again be used is growing. Far …
Ethiopia: Providing assistance to those that need it the most in 2018
In 2018, the ICRC continued to address the needs of vulnerable groups and individuals in Ethiopia by partnering with national bodies in order to do so as effectively as possible. We visited over …
New report highlights unique strengths of Red Cross Movement
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's unique combination of local, national and international responses is vital in conflict-affected communities, a new report concludes. 'The case for …
As local as possible, as international as necessary
This is the third of a series of Humanitarium events to explore localization in contemporary humanitarian action - a major policy discussion in the sector today following the Grand Bargain. The event …
An attack on heritage is an attack on the soul: Historian Dan Snow
The importance of protecting cultural heritage in times of conflict has been highlighted by broadcaster and historian Dan Snow, during a visit to Timbuktu with the ICRC. The British presenter visited …
Greece: Our work in 2018 at a glance
The sea and the land migratory routes from Turkey to Greece remain dangerous and even deadly, while people continue to get separated, leaving families in anxiety and despair. In 2018, according to …
Ukraine: Winter along the contact line
Residents of a front-line community transport insulation material, December 2018 A car with insulation material distributed by the ICRC in Luhansk region during the onset of the winter season in …
Brazil: The ICRC's work to help migrants
Migration is a complex, global phenomenon, which has multiple and diverse causes. Regardless of why people leave their country of origin, when they migrate they can become vulnerable. One of the …
Pakistan: Report addresses violence against health care in Peshawar
Addressing Violence Against Health Care in Peshawar, a research report compiled by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in collaboration with Khyber Medical University (KMU), Peshawar, …
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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.