Contemporary crises and armed conflicts are increasingly complex, with humanitarian needs made even more acute by the protracted and urban nature of conflicts, the challenges of influencing the behavior of warring parties, and the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. With 20,000 staff present in 104 countries, the ICRC is mandated by the international community, through the Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols, to assist and protect people affected by armed conflict and violence, including through the promotion of respect for humanitarian law.

In this special edition of the podcast, two ICRC Directors – Helen Durham, Director of International Law and Policy, and Dominik Stillhart, Director of Operations – discuss today’s operational and legal challenges and how to overcome them to reach the people affected.