Complying with IHL in large-scale conflicts: movement, mass displacement and maintaining family links In large-scale conflicts, IHL helps limit displacement, protect civilians and preserve family links through advance planning and safeguards.

Movement, mass displacement & maintaining family links in large-scale conflicts: a post with my @icrc.org colleague @helenobregon.bsky.social on @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social.

Photo of a landmine with a warning sign board labeled "Danger Mines"

As some European states reconsider the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, what’s at stake for civilians?

Anti-personnel mines remain indiscriminate and of limited military value.

Read more → lnkd.in/eH6d5wCe

#MineAction #IHL #Protection

ENMOD: Dodo, Dormant or Presciently Divine? [Vanessa Murphy and Helen Obregón Gieseken are Legal Advisers at the Legal Division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva] At the 34th International Conference of the Red…

Blog by @icrc.org colleagues Vanessa Murphy & Helen Obregón Gieseken, on 1977 treaty prohibiting Military Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD).

Often dismissed as a Cold War relic, they argue modern technology means it deserves a second look & urgently so. @opiniojuris.bsky.social

Key Common Provisions and Protection of Civilians in the 2025 Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention As international lawyers debate the resilience of international law in the face of its most serious breaches, including aggression and mass atrocities against civilians, the International Committee of...

Key Common Provisions and Protection of Civilians in the 2025 Commentary on the Fourth Geneva | by Mona Rishmawi
This post is part of a symposium being run in partnership with @justsecurity.org and @icrc.org

Key Common Provisions and Protection of Civilians in the 2025 Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention As international lawyers debate the resilience of international law in the face of its most serious breaches, including aggression and mass atrocities against civilians, the International Committee of...

"Key Common Provisions & Protection of Civilians in the 2025 Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention": new post at @ejiltalk.bsky.social by @monarishmawi.bsky.social.

Part of a joint symposium with @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social & @justsecurity.org.

What was the role of international human rights law and standards in the development of the updated ICRC Commentary? How can the ICRC Commentary contribute to the work of the OHCHR, Human Rights Council, and other UN human rights mechanisms?

Side event to 61st session of UN Human Rights Council - International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) & Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) discuss updated ICRC Commentary on the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention on protection of civilians (ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treat...).

Moderator:
Professor Cécile Aptel, Executive Director, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law & Human Rights

Speakers:
Dr Jean-Marie Henckaerts, ICRC.
Ms Sun Kim, OHCHR.

Opening remarks by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland.

Protecting civilians in armed conflict: human rights and the updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention

16 March 2026, 12.00-13.00 Geneva, Palais de Nations, Building A, Room IX (accessible only to those already with UN access)

online event 31 March 2026, register now!

Technology and the ICRC’s GC IV 2025 Commentary The 2025 ICRC GC IV Commentary integrates technology into its analysis, and raises concerns about its treatment of data as property.

As part of our joint symposium with @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social and @ejiltalk.bsky.social, @mikeschmitt.bsky.social surveys how the @icrc.org's updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention integrates technology in its analysis of specific rules:

www.justsecurity.org/132950/techn...

GC IV: Internment in Non-Occupied Territory International humanitarian law (IHL) treaties use a range of terms to denote deprivation of liberty, one of which is internment. While there is no legal definition, internment is understood to mean th...

GC IV: Internment in Non-Occupied Territory | by Jelena Pejic

This post is part of a symposium is being run in collaboration with @justsecurity.org and the @icrc.org.

Engaging non-state armed groups on the protection of missing people and their families Preventing disappearances in war: what non-state armed groups can do to protect families and treat the dead with dignity under IHL.

👥 Maintaining family links, clarifying the fate of the missing, & honouring the dead are not only a humanitarian imperative, but a legal duty.

Insights from 64 #NSAGs reveal practical ways to implement these obligations.

Read more → bit.ly/3NlwAOx

Commenting Anew on Article 23 of Geneva Convention IV New Commentary on Geneva Convention IV describes Article 23 as "significantly diminished" in importance in today's legal context.

As part of our joint symposium with @ejiltalk.bsky.social and @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social, @tomdannenbaum.bsky.social analyzes the new @icrc.org Commentary deeming the GC IV's Article 23 as “significantly diminished” in importance in today’s legal context:

www.justsecurity.org/131513/comme...

Reading the Updated Commentary on GCIV in an Imperial Moment The updated ICRC Commentary of the Fourth Geneva Convention (GCIV) is a monumental, if not timely, achievement. At its core, it provides a set of very useful legal interpretations on an enormous body ...

Reading the Updated Commentary on GCIV in an Imperial Moment | by Boyd van Dijk

This post is part of a symposium is being run in collaboration with @justsecurity.org and the @icrc.org

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”: the ICRC’s approach to Common Article 3 in its updated Commentary This post explores the ICRC Commentary on Common Article 3, highlighting key updates and what they reveal about modern armed conflict law.

⚖️ Common Article 3 to the fourth #GenevaConventions hasn’t been rewritten; it’s been updated.

As a part of an @ICRC joint symposium with @justsecurity.org & @ejiltalk.bsky.social on the updated Commentary on GC IV, today's post examines three key updates to CA3.

tinyurl.com/mxf6bv29

Protecting civilians in good faith: a joint symposium on the updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention When law is read in good faith, it becomes a shield. GC IV’s purpose is simple: protect human beings in war.

⚖️We're delighted to co-host a joint symposium with @justsecurity.org and @ejiltalk.bsky.social on the updated @icrc.org Commentary on the GC IV.

Following 5 years of research, it consolidates 70+ years of law and practice to guide civilian protection today.

Read more → bit.ly/3OiPkOU

Waging warfare at sea: how exceptional is the maritime domain today? From the ocean floor to cyberspace, modern naval warfare is reshaping risk, law, and life far beyond the waves.

⚓ #Naval warfare is no longer confined to the waves.

As #maritime operations expand across domains, civilians, seafarers and global supply chains face new risks. How should #IHL apply today?

Read more about the urgent need for legal clarity → bit.ly/4aGWDbG

From paper files to digital access: the digital transformation of the ICRC Archives - Cross-Files | ICRC Archives, audiovisual and library On 17 January 1996, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) opened its general archives to the public, marking a turning point in the possibility of analysing the history of the ICRC, huma...

The ICRC has launched an ambitious digitization programme that will facilitate access to funds collections and enable a truly global reach for our unique archival materials

blogs.icrc.org/cross-files/...

Call for papers

Attention researchers and practitioners!

The International Review of the Red Cross calls for papers on 'Addressing the Human Cost of Weapons: Past, Present and Future'. Submit by 20 March 2026, and contribute to this vital discussion.

Read more: ms.spr.ly/63327Q6p55

"Civilian hackers in war": New article from @icrc.org colleague @trodenhauser.bsky.social, on #IHL & civilian hackers.
In the International Review of the Red Cross (open access, early access).
@icrclawpolicy.bsky.social #ICRC

Armed conflict forces millions to flee, including across borders. But migrants can also get caught in conflict and violence along their journeys. Cut off from safety networks, they face heightened risks of abuse, separation, and limited access to aid. Respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) is essential to protect migrants’ safety and dignity during armed conflicts.

Armed conflict forces millions to flee, including across borders. But migrants can also get caught in conflict and violence along their journeys.

Respecting the rules of war is crucial to protecting civilians, including migrants, during armed conflicts.

#MigrantsDay

Launch of the Updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention (event highlights) On the 17th of October, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) published the updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection…

Video highlights from the panel discussion launching the Updated @icrc.org Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war. #IHL

Twenty years on: the enduring impact of the ICRC customary IHL study and database How the ICRC's 2005 study on customary IHL clarified gaps left by the treaties, and helped to strengthen the practical application of IHL.

📄 20 years on, reassessing the @icrc.org’s 2005 study on customary IHL offers a timely lens on how the law applies today

Its findings continue to clarify gaps left by treaties and strengthen the practical application of IHL

Read more → bit.ly/49aXM9R
#IHL #CustomaryLaw

Hi, I’m Terry Hackett. I lead the ICRC’s work with people deprived of their liberty.

Over the next 3 days, I’ll be sharing what our detention work looks like on the ground - how our teams support detainees, what we do, and why it matters.

📸 Me on the far left, in Venezuela.

Important notice: AI-generated archival references

I wish a notice like this wasn't necessary.
www.icrc.org/en/article/i...

Navigating violence: five insights to strengthen humanitarian action in contested territories The ICRC's Arjun Claire and Matthew Bamber-Zryd present five key insights to help strengthen humanitarian responses in contested territories.

🌍 200M+ people today live in contested territories where armed actors hold shifting control.

Drawing on recent field research, the @icrc.org shares 5 insights to strengthen humanitarian response in these fragile environments.

Read more → bit.ly/4oZupxE
#IHL #HumanitarianAction #Protection

ICRC president: Use of explosive weapons in populated areas requires a collective response

“What kind of warfare are we prepared to accept?”
@ICRC
President warns that explosive weapons with wide-area effects should be avoided in populated areas. Civilian harm is predictable — and preventable.
🔗 icrc.org/en/statement...
#EWIPA #IHL #ProtectionOfCivilians #UrbanWarfare

Reaffirming the obligation to protect medical facilities and support their functioning Does IHL create an obligation to ensure that medical facilities receive adequate supplies? If so, what practical measures are required?

🏥 Even when #hospitals aren’t attacked, supply restrictions can quietly shut them down.

Today’s post looks at what #IHL requires to keep medical facilities functioning, from allowing medical consignments to enabling essential services.

Read more: bit.ly/4o97XkB

📅 Just one week to go | The “Launch Event: Updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention” is happening on 27 November.

Join legal experts & humanitarian practitioners to explore the Commentary’s role in strengthening compliance with IHL.

🔗 Register now → bit.ly/49Ei3Gi