The law does not discriminate: Neither can we
President's address to the Human Rights Council 2019 A few weeks ago I visited Mosul, the site of an emblematic battle in the war in Iraq. The physical destruction was immense, and while not visible …
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"Trauma surgery is about saving life": British surgeon training medics in Gaza
"The quickest way for a patient to die in trauma surgery is from a bleeding artery, because the blood is being pumped out of the artery at high pressure." John Wolfe knows full well that every second …
South Sudan: Highlights of our work
January to December 2018 The five year conflict in South Sudan left many humanitarian consequences that will last. The conflict has claimed innumerable lives and left millions forcibly displaced from …
Democratic Republic of the Congo: our work in 2018
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the International Committee of the Red Cross promotes respect for international humanitarian law and helps people affected by the conflict and violence, often …
Ethiopia: Leaving violent clashes, oppressive heat and cold behind to start life anew
Fikadu Hailu had spent his entire life in the Yaso district of Benishangul Gumuz Region, in western Ethiopia, along with his wife and nine children. A farmer by trade, the 60-year-old cultivated …
Heads of UN, Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement pledge to step up action on sexual violence in conflict
25-02-2019 Geneva – The United Nations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement today pledged to step up action to prevent, end and respond to sexual and gender-based violence in and …
Standing together against sexual and gender-based violence
Speech by ICRC President The world is facing a grave protection failure: the failure to address the enormous harm caused by sexual and gender-based violence. The International Red Cross and Red …
South Africa: Decisive step toward nuclear weapons ban
Pretoria – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) commends South Africa’s decisive stance to contribute to a global ban on nuclear weapons by fully ratifying the Treaty on the …
Papua New Guinea: Operational highlights from 2018
Work on the much-needed Uma clinic in Kagua-Erave, Southern Highland Province, began in October 2018. With its official opening scheduled for April, the clinic is one of the many health projects …
Reducing Suffering During Armed Conflict: The Interface Between Buddhism and IHL
International Conference - Dambulla, Sri Lanka, 4-6 September 2019 From 4 to 6 September 2019, over 120 participants from around the world gathered in the historic town of Dambulla, Sri Lanka, for an …
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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.