Sri Lanka: Taking on life with needle and thread
Armed with a needle and thread, Suntharalingam Saraswathi is ready to take on the world. Not long ago, her world was full of chaos. Life was hard for her family during the 30-year conflict. Her …
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Afghanistan: Mohammad Azam - A story of tragedy and hope
Mohammad Azam's childhood was joyful and simple. He lived with his parents, brother and two sisters in Zahir Abad high in the mountains of Faizabad, Badakhshan province. Mohammad and his friends …
ICRC and IFRC adopt the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations
The Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations is now opened for signature by all humanitarian organizations, following its adoption by the International Committee of the Red …
2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions
The Convention on Cluster Munitions is a response to the suffering caused by cluster munitions, which have killed and injured many thousands of civilians in countries where they have been used. In …
National Committees for the implementation of international humanitarian law
The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 are the principal treaties governing aid to and protection of the victims of armed conflict. In order to secure the guarantees …
Cooperation in extradition and judicial assistance in criminal matters – Factsheet
In order to ensure respect for international humanitarian law (IHL), States must establish mechanisms to punish violations of that law. The repression of violations of IHL often requires the …
1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
The Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects applies two general …
ICRC database on national measures implementing international humanitarian law
Fact sheet describing the objective and content of the ICRC database on national measures to implement international humanitarian law. Database -implementation of IHL ADVISORY SERVICE ON IHL ICRC …
General principles of international criminal law – Factsheet
International criminal law is the body of law that prohibits certain categories of conduct deemed to be serious crimes, regulates procedures governing investigation, prosecution and punishment of …
Command responsibility and failure to act – Factsheet
International humanitarian law (IHL) provides a system for repressing serious violations of its rules based on the individual criminal responsibility of those responsible. The violations can also …
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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.