Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the ICRC: The rules of war are being ignored

‘I compare the erosion of international humanitarian law with bankruptcy it happens gradually at first and then all of a sudden instantly. This is what is happening with the Geneva Conventions at the moment. You look away, you look away, you look away, you increase your tolerance level until all of a sudden you realize we've crossed the line. We've crossed the red line, and we've done so collectively, because these things are happening under international watch.’ Imogen Foulkes meets Mirjana Spoljaric, the first woman to lead the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The ICRC is 163 years old. It works in war zones around the world, with one central mission: to uphold the Geneva Conventions, the rules designed to preserve some humanity, even in war.

All 196 states have ratified the conventions, They established fundamental protections: civilians should not be targeted; hospitals and health workers must be protected and humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those who need it.

But in practice, Mirjana Spoljaric says, those rules are increasingly being flouted. She talks about the growing lack of accessing war zones, the ICRC being denied visits to prisoners of war, and what happens when even the most basic rules of war are ignored.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with the head of the World Meteorological Organisation, Celeste Saulo, the former Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard and the author Maggie O’Farrell. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Imogen Foulkes Producer: Farhana Haider Editor: Justine Lang

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(Image: Mirjana Spoljaric. Credit: Joel Saget/Getty)