The ongoing conflict in the Oromia region is having a devastating effect on many communities, particularly those in remote areas. Oromia doesn’t make the headlines, yet civilians continue to be …
International Committee of the Red Cross & Iraqi Red Crescent Society Welcome to our annual photography contest. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Iraqi Red Crescent Society …
What is the Prevention of Sexual Violence Programme (PSVP)? The ICRC works to influence the behaviour of weapon bearers, civilian authorities, and communities to prevent sexual violence in armed …
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 …
The International Committee of the Red Cross is proud to organize for the sixth time a legal writing competition in Arabic to engage Arabic speaking scholars on relevant IHL discussions and to …
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 …
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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.
