The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), together with six founding states (Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa), launched the Global Initiative on IHL last year …
Addressing sexual violence is a core part of the ICRC’s humanitarian and legal mandate, and preventing it is one of the organization’s priorities. In 2022, the ICRC launched its Prevention of Sexual …
Figures from January to May 2025 During the first half of 2025, the humanitarian situation in Colombia deteriorated considerably, with increasingly severe consequences for civilians. The adverse …
Since 2021, Haiti has been mired in a spiral of armed violence, forcing thousands of people – including many women and children – to flee their homes and communities every day. Often with no …
29-07-2025 Port Sudan (ICRC) - Attacks on civilians and essential infrastructure in Sudan’s Kordofan states — including hospitals, markets and residential areas — have caused a high number of …
29-07-2025 Damascus (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) joined a Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) humanitarian convoy sent to Sweida to deliver essential aid, to assess …
Twelve-year-old Mohammad Ehsan’s eyes are fixed on the ball as he runs across the futsal court. He tackles an opponent, dodges another and dribbles before trying to strike a goal. His excitement and …
The following is a statement attributable to ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric on the humanitarian situation in Gaza New York (ICRC)—There is no excuse for what is happening in Gaza. The scale of …
Health services are among the earliest and most devastating casualties of war, with over 3,000 attacks recorded between 2023 and 2024—despite protection under international humanitarian law. As …
Every day at Klessoum Prison in N’Djamena, some of its inmates set about making soap – a far cry from the typical image of prison life. Since 2022, the prison’s inmates have been taking part in a …
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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.
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.
