History of the ICRC
… the development of humanitarian action, the Geneva Conventions and the Red Cross and Red Crescent … met for the first time in February 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland. Among its five members …
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Migration: Speech by ICRC president to Council of Europe
… their obligation per common article 1 of the Geneva Conventions. One means to do so is to provide …
Speech by ICRC president at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, South Africa
… Red Cross (ICRC), as bestowed upon it by the Geneva Conventions. This complex, over a hundred … law (IHL) provisions contained in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and 1977 Additional …
ICRC and Parliaments: the fruitful collaboration with the Inter-Parliamentary Union
… in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the Inter-Parliamentary … translated into various activities. Held in Geneva from 23 to 27 October 2016, the 135th … on the update of the Commentary to the Geneva Conventions, the Universal Meeting of National …
Speech by ICRC president to African Union Peace and Security Council
… convened last May on Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions stipulating "The Obligation to …
The laws of war in a nutshell
… The rules of war are universal. The Geneva Conventions (which are the core element of …
10 things the rules of war do
The rules of war, also known as international humanitarian law: Protect those who are not fighting, such as civilians, medical personnel or aid workers. Protect those who are no longer able to fight, …
Workshop: Incorporating international humanitarian law into domestic legislation
… that according to Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions (1949), States have an obligation … of the workshop focused on incorporating the Geneva Conventions into domestic law. The …
Indonesia and Timor-Leste: Facts and figures, 2015
… in an "expert consultation" workshop in Geneva. • Two Indonesian officials and one … place at the National IHL Commission on the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their translation into …
Terrorism, counter-terrorism and international humanitarian law
… in particular common Articles 2 and 3 of the Geneva Conventions. In other words, in situations of …
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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.