War in cities - what is at stake?
On 4 April 2017, ICRC President Peter Maurer delivered a lecture on the specific legal and operational challenges of urban warfare. As we are increasingly witnessing the catastrophic impact of …
On 4 April 2017, ICRC President Peter Maurer delivered a lecture on the specific legal and operational challenges of urban warfare. As we are increasingly witnessing the catastrophic impact of …
For the fourth year in a row, the African Union Commission (AUC), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) jointly commemorated the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance …
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the ICRC has a delegation in Kinshasa and sub-delegations in Bukavu, Goma, Bunia and Lubumbashi. In 2016, we helped people affected by armed conflict and …
The Security Survey for Health Facilities is a new tool to help hospitals and other health-care facilities prepare for attacks against them and improve the safety and security of patients and health …
In 2016, the ICRC and the Libyan Red Crescent continued to help those most in need in Libya. We distributed aid in the form of food and essential household items such as mattresses, blankets, kitchen …
Between the 15 and 22 December, 2016 one of the largest and most complex evacuations of civilians in recent history, took place from the Syrian city of Aleppo. The warring parties had agreed that the …
The straw huts covered with tarpaulins look freshly built. The domestic items lying around – cooking pots, jerry cans, plastic chairs – are few. A makeshift camp that appeared four months ago is …
On the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the Commission of the African Union (AU) and the ICRC organized an awareness session for staff members of …
Laurent Corbaz is an experienced humanitarian worker who has spent more than 30 years with the ICRC. He is currently leading the project to implement the Humanitarian Project Plan. Under the plan, …
The destructive force of war in cities, the suffering it causes and the impact on people's lives and livelihoods – is a major concern of the ICRC in many countries in which we work. This keynote …
Try one of the following resources:
Created in 1863, the ICRC library, alongside the ICRC archives, provides an indispensable documentary reference on the organization itself and international humanitarian law.
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 international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.