The adoption of the 1949 Geneva Conventions: a humanitarian break and colonial continuity

February 26, 2026 12 mins read Analysis / GCIV Commentary / Generating Respect for IHL / History / Humanitarian Principles / Protecting civilians in good faith: a joint symposium on the updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention / Related bodies of law / Scope of application Srinivas Burra

More than seven decades after their adoption, the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 remain foundational ...

Islamic law and the right to life in armed conflict

February 24, 2026 12 mins read Analysis / Emerging Voices / Generating Respect for IHL / Humanitarian Principles / IHL / Islamic Law / Law and Conflict / Related bodies of law / Religion Alannah Travers

Islamic legal traditions and the modern framework of international humanitarian law (IHL) emerged from different ...

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”: the ICRC’s approach to Common Article 3 in its updated Commentary

February 19, 2026 13 mins read Analysis / Armed Groups / GCIV Commentary / Gender / IHL / Law and Conflict / Protecting civilians in good faith: a joint symposium on the updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention / Scope of application Katharine Fortin

The updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention (GC IV) includes a number of ...

“Cognitive warfare”: why the human brain should not become a battlefield

February 5, 2026 15 mins read Analysis / Conduct of Hostilities / IHL / Law and Conflict / New Technologies / Related bodies of law / Weapons Pierrick Devidal

Militaries are gearing up for confrontation on a new battlefield: the human brain. While psychological ...

Bridging IHL and WPS: untapped potential to advance the wellbeing of women in conflict settings

January 29, 2026 13 mins read Accountability / Analysis / Gender / Gender and conflict / Humanitarian Action / IHL / Sexual Violence Jessica Anania

The International Criminal Court recently issued its first conviction for gender persecution as a crime ...

IHL’s lighthouse: navigating towards a digital emblem

January 15, 2026 16 mins read Cyber / Cybersecurity and data protection in humanitarian action / IHL / Law and Conflict / New Technologies / Special Protections / Technology in Humanitarian Action Samit D’Cunha & Mauro Vignati

As cyber operations are increasingly taking place during armed conflicts, and this trend is likely ...

Reaffirming the obligation to protect medical facilities and support their functioning

November 20, 2025 15 mins read Analysis / Conduct of Hostilities / Generating Respect for IHL / Health Care / Health care / IHL / Related bodies of law / Special Protections / Special Themes / Upholding humanity in war: the Global IHL Initiative Supriya Rao & Alexander Breitegger

Restrictions on movement and access to medical supplies have become an often-unseen threat to health ...

Outsourcing humanity? International law, humane treatment, and artificial intelligence in detention operations

November 13, 2025 14 mins read Accountability / Analysis / Detention / Generating Respect for IHL / IHL / Law and Conflict / New Technologies Terry Hackett & Alexis Comninos

As artificial intelligence (AI) begins to shape decisions about who is detained in armed conflict ...

Peace can start in a prison cell: how IHL and humane detention can build pathways to peace

November 6, 2025 14 mins read Accountability / Analysis / Detention / Generating Respect for IHL / IHL / Law and Conflict / Special Themes / Torture / Upholding humanity in war: the Global IHL Initiative Terry Hackett & Audrey Purcell-O’Dwyer

When wars end, peace rarely begins overnight. It’s built, slowly and painstakingly, through acts that ...

From hackers to tech companies: IHL and the involvement of civilians in ICT activities in armed conflict

November 4, 2025 10 mins read Accountability / Analysis / Communications / Conduct of Hostilities / Generating Respect for IHL / IHL / Law and Conflict / New Technologies / Scope of application Tilman Rodenhäuser, Samit D’Cunha, Laurent Gisel, Anna Rosalie Greipl & Marco Roscini

Picture a potential future armed conflict: missiles and drones crowding the skies, uncrewed vehicles rolling ...

The humanity compass: navigating the protection of civilians in naval warfare

October 28, 2025 13 mins read Analysis / Conduct of Hostilities / Generating Respect for IHL / IHL / Law and Conflict / Related bodies of law / Special Themes / Upholding humanity in war: the Global IHL Initiative André Smit & Kelisiana Thynne

The law of naval warfare is a complex collection of international laws, developed in an ...

Sixty years on: why the Fundamental Principles must be lived, not just remembered

October 23, 2025 13 mins read Analysis / Conduct of Hostilities / Generating Respect for IHL / History / Humanitarian Action / Humanitarian diplomacy / Humanitarian Principles / IHL / Law and Conflict Pierre Krähenbühl

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross ...

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