Aftermath of battles and conflict: from challenges to solutions
The end of intense combat during armed conflict – whether permanent or temporary –does not automatically correlate with an end to human suffering. The last four posts in our series ‘IHL in the afterma...
13 Sep 202211min
When will it be over? A fictional civilian’s story in the aftermath of conflict
‘What I know is that for me, for many, the war will not be over until more is done to restore us and our town to normality’. Conflict is not just about international humanitarian law (IHL) and how it ...
7 Sep 202211min
What does ‘back to basics’ mean for gender and the fundamental principles?
The recently-launched ICRC blog series ‘Back to basics: humanitarian principles in contemporary armed conflict’ aims to inspire discussion and debate about the relevance of, and challenges to, the hum...
1 Sep 202216min
‘Catching up with the curve’: the participation of women in disarmament diplomacy
Though it cannot be up to women alone to capture gendered impacts in treaty texts and outcome documents, their perspective has often helped to pave the way. Research shows that women’s participation i...
25 Aug 202214min
‘It was the best of times;it was the worst of times’:a tale of 2 cities in the aftermath of conflict
In seemingly a moment, a city can go from being prosperous and peaceful to completely ravaged by war. Depending on how a conflict plays out and how the parties fulfil their IHL obligations before, dur...
18 Aug 202213min
Prisoners of war in contemporary armed conflict: Interpreting GClll 70+ years after its negotiation
Too often the term “prisoner of war” (PoW) conjures up black-and-white images of soldiers detained in the Second World War. Recent events have brought PoWs back into the fore of the public consciousne...
11 Aug 202223min
IHL and occupied territory
As the armed conflict in Ukraine persists, rapidly unfolding events have entailed grave implications for civilians trapped in the crisis, such as death, injury and displacement from their homes and no...
26 Jul 202217min
Silenced guns do not mend lives: what does the law say about human suffering at the end of conflict?
Silenced guns do not mend the lives of those who have survived the violence. Declarations of victory and the laying down of arms do not by themselves restore electricity and clean water; nor do they ...
21 Jul 202213min
