A safety net for prisoners of war: five key principles of the Third Geneva Convention
After the Second World War, countries came together to improve the legal protection available to certain categories of persons – including prisoners of war – many of whom had suffered greatly during t...
27 Apr 202312min
When the lights go out: the protection of energy infrastructure in armed conflict
In armed conflicts across the globe, critical infrastructure enabling the delivery of essential services for the civilian population is subjected to repeated attack, incidental harm and misuse by warr...
20 Apr 202329min
Detention by non-State armed groups: translating law to practice
From the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north of Syria, from remote areas of Colombia to the Tigray region of Ethiopia: over the past decade, tens of thousands of people have foun...
31 Mars 202313min
The NSAG handbook: helping non-State armed groups reduce civilian harm during urban warfare
Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. As the number of people living in cities increases, so does the prevalence of urban warfare, which inevitably entails devastating ...
30 Mars 202310min
Climate change, environment and humanitarian action in Southeast Asia
Worldwide, millions of people are already facing the harsh reality of climate and environmental crises, which act as a risk magnifier and compound the impacts of other global economic, health and food...
28 Mars 202314min
Protecting the innocent, the land, and the body: traditional sources of restraint on landmine use
What drives restraint in armed conflict? Recent studies have examined different factors contributing to restraint behaviour, mainly focusing on strategic incentives, such as seeking legitimacy from in...
23 Mars 202314min
It’s all relative: the humanitarian principles in historical and legal perspective
Humanitarian actors broadly agree on the humanitarian principles’ meanings and their utility in responses to armed conflict and disasters. But this consensus can oversimplify the principles’ origins a...
16 Mars 202315min
Towards common understandings: the application of established IHL principles to cyber operations
Cyber operations have become a reality of today’s armed conflicts, and their use is likely to continue to grow in the future. In light of this trend, the ICRC has long maintained that international hu...
7 Mars 202311min
