René-Jean Wilhelm, a member of the team of legal experts who drafted the 1949 Conventions, and historian François Bugnion look back on this milestone in the history of international humanitarian law. © ICRC, V-F-CR-F-01477
19th International Conference of the Red Cross (New Delhi, 24 October-7 November 1957)
Draft rules for the limitation of the dangers incurred by the civilian population in time of war (also available in French, Spanish and German)
Final record concerning the draft rules for the limitation of the dangers incurred by the civilian population in time of war (also available in French and Spanish)
20th International Conference of the Red Cross (Vienna, 2-9 October 1965)
The legal protection of civilian populations against the dangers of indiscriminate warfare : Report submitted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (also available in French and Spanish)
Resolution 28: Protection of Civilian Populations against the Dangers of Indiscriminate Warfare (also available in French and Spanish)
Memorandum (19 May 1967)
Memorandum, Protection of Civilian Populations against the Dangers of Indiscriminate Warfare (also available in French, German and Spanish)
21st International Conference of the Red Cross (Istanbul, 6-13 September 1969)
Reaffirmation and development of the laws and customs applicable in armed conflicts : Report submitted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (also available in French and Spanish)
Resolution 13: Reaffirmation and Development of the Laws and Customs applicable in Armed Conflicts (also available in French and Spanish)
Conference of Red Cross Experts, 1st Session (The Hague, 1-6 March 1971)
Report on the work of the conference (also available in French and Spanish)
Conference of Government Experts, 1st Session (Geneva, 24 May-12 June 1971)
Documents submitted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (also available in French and Spanish):
- Mesures intended to reinforce the implementation of the existing law
- Protection of the civilian population against dangers of hostilities
- Rules relative to behaviour of combatants
- Protection of victims of non-international armed conflicts
- Rules applicable in guerilla warfare
- Protection of the wounded and sick
Report on the work of the conference (also available in French and Spanish)
Conference of Red Cross Experts, 2nd Session (Vienna, 20-24 March 1972)
Report on the work of the conference (also available in French)
Conference of Government Experts, 2nd Session (Geneva, 3 May-3 June 1972)
Documents submitted by the ICRC (also available in French and Spanish):
- Technical memorandum on medical marking and identification
- Draft additional protocols and resolutions
- Commentary on the draft additional protocols
Report on the work of the conference (also available in French and Spanish)
Questionnaire concerning measures intended to reinforce the implementation of the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949 : replies sent by governments (also available in French and Spanish)
22nd International Conference of the Red Cross (Tehran, 8-15 November 1973)
Draft Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949 (also available in French, Spanish and Russian)
Commentary on the Draft Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949 (also available in French and Spanish)
Report on the study by the XXIInd international Conference of the Red Cross of the Draft Additional Protocols (also available in French and Spanish)
Diplomatic Conference on the Reaffirmation and Development of International Humanitarian Law Applicable in Armed Conflicts (Geneva, 1974-1977)
Second session, 3 February-18 April 1975
Third session, 21 April-11 June 1976
Fourth session, 17 March-10 June 1977
Official records (also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish)
Draft protocol I : Following the second session of the diplomatic conference (also available in French)
Draft protocol I : Following the third session of the diplomatic conference (also available in French and Spanish)
Draft protocol II : Following the second session of the diplomatic conference (also available in French)
Draft protocol II : Following the third session of the diplomatic conference (also available in French and Spanish)
Further readings:
- Related ICRC archival fonds:
- A CICR, serie B AG 059 (1951-1989) Development of international humanitarian law
- A CICR, serie B AG 152 (1969-1984) Diplomatic conferences
- Summary of the work of the four sessions of the Diplomatic Conference (1974-1977) published in the International Review of the Red Cross (IRRC):
- 1st session (IRRC, no. 158, May 1974, p. 227-240)
- 2nd session (IRRC, no. 172, July 1975, p. 323-358)
- 3rd session (IRRC, no. 186, September 1976, p. 443-467)
- 4th session (IRRC, no. 196, July 1977, p. 337-372)
- Commentary on the additional protocols of 8 June 1977 to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 / Claude Pilloud, Jean de Preux, Yves Sandoz, Bruno Zimmermann, Philippe Eberlin, Hans-Peter Gasser, Claude F. Wenger (Protocol I), Philippe Eberlin (Annex I), Sylvie-S. Junod (Protocol II) ; with the collaboration of Jean Pictet. – Geneva : ICRC, Nijhoff, 1987.
- Commentary on Annex I to Protocol I as amended in 1993 (only available in French) / Philippe Eberlin (1986), Dominique Loye (updated in 2002). – Geneva : ICRC, June 2002. – 190 p.
- New rules for victims of armed conflicts : commentary on the two 1977 Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 / by Michael Bothe, Karl Josef Partsch,Waldemar A. Solf ; with the collab. of Martin Eaton. – 2nd ed. reprint revised – Leiden ; Boston : M. Nijhoff, 2013. – XXXII, 843 p.
- Protection of war victims : Protocol 1 to the 1949 Geneva Conventions / [ed.] by Howard S. Levie – Dobbs Ferry : Oceana, 1979. – 4 vol.
- The law of non-international armed conflict : protocol II to the Geneva Conventions / ed. by Howard S. Levie – Dordrecht [etc.] : Nijhoff, 1987. – XIII, 635 p.
- 40th anniversary of the 1977 Additional Protocols.
- The formation of international humanitarian law / by Jean Pictet. – In: International Review of the Red Cross, No. 244, January-February 1985, p. 3-24.
- The Protocols additional to the Geneva Conventions / by François Bugnion. – In: The International Committee of the Red Cross and the protection of war victims. – p. 319-329.
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