Update of customary IHL database – October 2025
New update of the customary IHL database We have just updated the customary IHL database to include to include additional practice from Canada and Nigeria . The database contains : the 161 rules of …
Skip to main content
Search results
Facts and Figures for ICRC Activities in Donetsk and Luhansk
The ongoing international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to have a profound impact on civilians across Donetsk and Luhansk. Damage to vital infrastructure has severely disrupted …
Israel and the occupied territories: ICRC forced to temporarily suspend operations in Gaza City office as hostilities escalate
01-10-2025 Gaza (ICRC) – The intensification of military operations in Gaza City has forced the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to temporarily suspend operations at its Gaza City …
Frequently asked questions: Our work following the earthquake in Afghanistan
For over 40 years, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has worked to support communities in Afghanistan . The ICRC has been responding effectively by providing a wide range of …
ICRC President: “Why upholding the rules of war matters everywhere”
In a new interview with CGTN America, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric delivers an urgent appeal for states to show political will to uphold international humanitarian law (IHL) to halt the suffering …
Myanmar: Six months after the earthquake, access to clean water remains a lifeline for hard-hit communities
26-09-2025 Geneva/Yangon (ICRC) – Six months after a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, access to safe water remains one of the most urgent and persistent challenges for affected …
ICRC-IFRC joint statement: Humanity continues to live under the shadow of nuclear warfare and its immense suffering and humanitarian consequences
Joint Statement of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on the occasion of the International Day for the Total …
Myanmar Earthquake: Six Months On
On 28 March 2025, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar, compounding the needs of communities already affected by years of conflict. Since then, the ICRC, in collaboration with the …
Uganda: National Moot Competition on International Humanitarian Law
On September 16, 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) organised its Annual National Moot Court Competition focused on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) for university law …
UN Security Council: We cannot let AI be deployed on the battlefield without oversight and regulation
Delivered by Cordula Droege, Chief Legal Officer of the ICRC, at the Open Debate of the United Nations Security Council on "Artificial intelligence and international peace and security" in New York. …
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.