How we work with National Societies
We work closely with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world and with their International Federation to ensure a concerted, coordinated and rapid response to the humanitarian …
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Air and naval warfare
International humanitarian law covers all armed conflicts – on land, at sea or in the air. Nevertheless, some treaty and customary law applies specifically to naval and aerial warfare. Highlights War …
Military operations in space
Despite the international community’s long-term desire to explore and use space for peaceful purposes, military use of space and space objects has been an integral part of contemporary warfare for …
Detention
The Third Geneva Convention protects prisoners of war. It establishes their rights and sets out detailed rules for their treatment and release. International humanitarian law also protects other …
The environment and warfare
International humanitarian law protects the natural environment and aims to limit the damage caused to it during war. Highlight Is it ever justifiable to damage nature when waging war? Can nature be …
Food security
Nowhere are the consequences of the global food crisis felt more than in countries already facing humanitarian crises and torn apart by decades of warfare or instability. International humanitarian …
Protected persons: Internally displaced persons
The ICRC's long-standing work addressing internal displacement globally is guided by our mandate to protect the lives and dignity of people affected by armed conflict and other violence. We focus on …
Anti-personnel landmines
Anti-personnel mines continue to maim and kill even after conflicts end – and it is mainly civilians who suffer the horrific consequences. Highlight ICRC urges states to uphold the prohibitions of …
Explosive remnants of war
Every year, large numbers of civilians are killed or injured by explosive remnants of war, a term that refers to the unexploded ordnance – such as shells, grenades and bombs – left behind after a …
Protected persons: Prisoners of war and detainees
The Third Geneva Convention protects prisoners of war. It defines their rights and sets out detailed rules for their treatment and release. International humanitarian law also protects other people …
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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.