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	Iran and Israel agree to a ceasefire by International Committee of the Red Cross, agencies   25 June 2025   Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire following 12 days of exchanging intense air strikes. According to Iranian authorities, at least 606 people were killed and more than 5,300 injured since hostilities erupted on 13 June. Israeli officials reported 28 deaths and nearly 1,500 injuries.   12 June 2025   Israel launched attacks on Iran Thursday that targeted nuclear sites and military leaders, reportedly killing the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and some number of nuclear scientists.   According to the New York Times, Israeli warplanes attacked at least six sites in Iran, including the capital city of Tehran and the key nuclear facility at Natanz.   The Natanz facility “was engulfed in flames on Friday,” according to CNN and Iranian state television.   Senior Iranian military leaders, commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and leading scientists involved in the country’s nuclear program were targeted.   Israeli officials attempted to frame the attack as pre-emptive, suggesting that Iran was on the verge of creating nuclear weapons that would pose an existential threat to Israel.   Iran is planning a “decisive response,” the Reuters news service reported Iranian security sources as saying. “The armed forces will certainly respond to this attack,” Iranian spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi said.   Thursday’s attacks follow lengthy negotiations between Iran and the United States that were mediated by Oman and aimed to reach agreement on the future of Iran’s uranium enrichment program. Those negotiations appear to have stalled over the issue of Iran’s ability to enrich uranium.   Iran considers enrichment a right conferred by its participation in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and necessary to the country’s peaceful uses of nuclear energy.   Israel has insisted that Iran have no ability to enrich uranium, because any enrichment capacity could allow Iran to covertly create nuclear weapons. The United States has wavered between support of plans that would allow Iran a very limited enrichment capacity and an insistence that the country have no enrichment capability whatsoever.   Thursday’s attacks raise the specter of full-scale war between Israel and Iran.   * The conflict between Israel and Iran has entered its sixth day as both states trade waves of missile strikes. Israel's military has said its air force is continuing attacks on targets in Iranian territory. Iran has responded by launching missile barrages at Israel. The US has entered the war attacking three underground nuclear sites inside Iran - nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, were struck.   Statement from Nicolas Von Arx, Near & Middle East regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in response to the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran.   “Our hearts go out to the civilians caught in the conflict between Iran and Israel. Every life lost, every family affected, is a deep tragedy.   Many civilians on both sides have been killed or injured, including members of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. Homes have been damaged and livelihoods have been shattered. In Iran, many families are fleeing for safety. In Israel, families are repeatedly forced into shelters in the middle of the night.   We fear that if this conflict intensifies then even more civilians will suffer and the ripple effects will spread far beyond the immediate hostilities in a region that is already seeing so much suffering.   We call for respect of international humanitarian law and urge immediate de-escalation. Decisive political action is urgently needed to stop the killing and put an end to destruction.   Our partners in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement are responding at the forefront. The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) have their emergency preparedness and response teams on the ground responding to humanitarian needs. Magen David Adom (MDA) – have been providing critical assistance to those affected by the ongoing hostilities.”   13 June 2025   Middle East: ICRC calls for de-escalation and protection of civilians amid rising tensions   The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is deeply alarmed by the latest hostilities in the Middle East and urgently calls for respect of international humanitarian law (IHL). Further escalation in a region already wracked by multiple conflicts risks sparking a broader regional crisis with devastating consequences for all communities, exacerbating existing humanitarian emergencies and displacing more people both within their countries and beyond.   Civilians in the Middle East have borne the brunt of repeated crises for decades. What they need most is a respite from armed violence. It is imperative for all actors to prioritize de-escalation and the preservation of human life and dignity. The ICRC urges all parties involved to adhere to IHL, taking constant care to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects.   Beyond legal obligations, decisive political action is needed to scale back hostilities that will lead to further suffering and destruction. Urgent diplomatic steps must be taken to bring back stability and safeguard lives.   In all conflict-affected areas, we continue engaging with parties to remind them of their obligations under IHL to ensure civilians, medical personnel, and civilian objects, including essential services are protected.   The time to act is now—to prevent further suffering and uphold the fundamental principles of humanity.   http://reliefweb.int/report/iran-islamic-republic/mena-regional-escalation-flash-update-1-ocha-regional-office-middle-east-and-north-africa-17-june-2025 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/06/israel-iran-turk-calls-restraint-and-respect-international-humanitarian-law http://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2025-06-21/statement-the-secretary-general-iran http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164731 http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/icrc-statement-escalations-hostilities-middle-east http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-children-killed-alarming http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-ad-interim-representative-iran-monika-oledzka-nielsen-impact http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/middle-east-icrc-calls-de-escalation-protection-civilians-rising-tensions
	Under international humanitarian law parties to conflicts must protect civilians by UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs, ICRC, agencies   Apr. 2025   UN Security Council: "World getting more dangerous for civilians on your watch"   Briefing to the United Nations Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. (Extract)   "My two asks today of the Security Council and, indeed, the wider international community go beyond Ukraine alone.   Firstly, I must reiterate that under the international humanitarian law that this Council is here to defend, parties to conflicts must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Indiscriminate attacks on them are strictly prohibited:   There must be limits to how war is waged. At its best, this Council, and the Member States here, have upheld that idea – even wars have rules. Is that not why we are here?   And yet, on my visits from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan to Lebanon to Myanmar – from where I returned yesterday – I am seeing the opposite: that not only are we not standing robustly for international law, but in some cases we are supporting its debasement.   That's the common thread that links these conflicts. And if your principles apply only to your opponents, they are not humanitarian principles.   The world is getting more dangerous for civilians, on our watch. Please, you can do more to ensure that this era of increasingly belligerent, transactional, self-defeating nationalism is not also remembered as one of callous impunity and brutal indifference, in which the rights of civilians are discarded again and again with a shrug.   If we do not make our stand on this point, consistently and unequivocally, then what do we stand for anymore? And how can we expect anyone to listen to us, or hope that others will make better choices in the future?   My second ask, is the funding to save lives in an increasingly dangerous environment, and this era of savage cuts. If you cannot stop the attacks on civilians – in Ukraine and elsewhere – please, at least give us the security and resources to save as many survivors as we can".   Unprotected: What happens when the laws of war are ignored, by Joyce Msuya - UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:   “There are more than 120 armed conflicts across the globe, their number steadily rising since the ‘90s. In conflicts around the world, civilians are killed, injured, traumatized and separated from their loved ones.   The vital services they rely on – hospitals, clean water, markets, electricity, schools – are damaged or destroyed; their livelihoods lost. They suffer hunger, disease and homelessness. And these horrors are becoming normalized, with worrying global trends.   Last year alone, at least 36,000 civilian deaths were recorded by the UN in 14 armed conflicts – the actual number likely to be far higher. Not even aid workers are spared – killed and injured in record numbers, impeded in their movements, targeted by disinformation, and impaired by the adverse effects of sanctions and counterterrorism measures.   International humanitarian law is designed to minimize suffering in war. It imposes rules of conduct on all parties to conflict – whether State armed forces or non-state armed groups: They must treat all persons humanely, and they are limited in the tactics and weapons they can use. In other words, international humanitarian law is designed to protect civilians. We cannot allow it to unravel.   Parties and all States with influence must take concrete steps to protect civilians now, without delays or excuses. The international community has committed to limiting human suffering in armed conflict through international humanitarian law – an imperative for all parties to conflict. It will take strict adherence to international law and the adoption of good-faith policies and practices to do that.   Fighting impunity is essential, as impunity only breeds more impunity. We must also acknowledge that not all civilian harm stems from violations of the law. Even when parties comply, the scale of civilian harm can still be devastating. Only a more comprehensive and people-centred approach to the protection of civilians can reduce the overwhelming scale of civilian harm”.   http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-warns-security-council-protection-civilians-unraveling-amid-global-inaction http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/statements-iasc-principals   NGO Statement Ahead of the Open Debate on Protection of Civilians:   One year after the UN Secretary-General outlined the “resoundingly grim” state of civilian protection, the situation continues to deteriorate. 21 NGOs call for urgent action by the UN Security Council and UN Member States to strengthen accountability and ensure robust implementation of protection mandates.   Civilians living in conflict zones today are in more danger than ever before. The UN recorded a 72% increase in civilian deaths in armed conflict between 2022 and 2023, with the proportion of women and children killed doubling and tripling respectively. Over 473 million children — more than 1 in 6 globally — now live in areas affected by conflict. In 2023, UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence, the majority against women and girls, increased by 50 per cent compared with 2022.   Intersecting and multidimensional vulnerabilities are also compounded for marginalised groups. Those who survive are often injured, displaced, and frequently cut off from their communities and support networks. As a result they can become reliant on humanitarian aid for services such as healthcare, water, electricity, and education for years or even decades.   The use of explosive weapons in populated areas continues to have a devastating effect on civilians, causing both immediate harm and long-lasting cumulative and reverberating impacts. These attacks are often fuelled by third party arms transfers. The resultant patterns of harm not only deepen humanitarian need, but also undermine the foundations for sustainable peace.   When civilian infrastructure and the natural environment are destroyed and social cohesion fractured, the road to recovery is steeper and longer, impeding justice and increasing the risk of renewed violence.   Parties to conflict are, in many cases, intentionally undermining the international norms and standards designed to protect civilians from the conduct of war and are deliberately violating International Humanitarian Law (IHL), eroding even the bare minimum of protections owed to civilians.   Of particular concern is the speed with which States are backsliding on their commitments to protect — and ensure the protection of — civilians. Consequently, the deliberate targeting of civilians is becoming a tool of warfare, further fuelling a culture of impunity.   The humanitarian consequences are staggering. 305.1 million people are in humanitarian need, a number that has quadrupled in the past decade, primarily driven by conflict. 123 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, double the figure from 2015, and 281.6 million people are experiencing crisis or worse of food insecurity (IPC 3+).   While these statistics are unfathomably high, each number represents an individual — a farmer who has lost access to their livelihood and is struggling to feed their family, an elderly person displaced multiple times and living in a camp, a child not able to go to school.   Across the world, humanitarian actors and civil society are working relentlessly to respond to the escalating needs of conflict-affected populations, while facing growing risk of harm and operational constraints. Local actors, including women-led organisations, face the greatest risk.   Across the board, resources are being slashed or politicized, further intensifying the level of risk borne by local actors. Amid this dire reality, civilians themselves are seeking to hold their communities together under immense strain and standing firm in their calls for peace and justice. They need the international community to not just bear witness, but to act.   The 2025 UNSC Open Debate must confront this truth: there is no shortage of tools to protect civilians, but there is a shortage of political will to use them equally and follow through with practical implementation and accountability.   From legal instruments and policies, early warning mechanisms, civilian harm tracking, and civilian-military dialogues to sanctions, independent investigations, and accountability and remedy mechanisms — these tools are too often sidelined and ignored rather than being leveraged, supported, prioritised, and fully integrated.   Diplomacy is failing. At the United Nations Security Council the most powerful countries in the world are making ineffective the body charged with ensuring international peace and security. In the past 10 years, the permanent members used their powers to veto resolutions at least 36 times. 2024 saw the fewest UNSC resolutions adopted since 1991 and the highest number of draft resolutions failed due to veto since 1986.   The UN turns 80 this year. Instead of retreat there must be renewed urgency in support of — and commitment to — multilateralism, the UN Charter, and the international rules-based order, with the protection of civilians at its core.   Impunity feeds on itself. In the absence of real accountability for harm caused and the just and equitable application of international law and standards at all times and in all places, this dangerous cycle characterized by compounding harms and prolonged suffering will continue.   http://www.unocha.org/news/world-getting-more-dangerous-civilians-your-watch-un-relief-chief-tells-security-council http://reliefweb.int/report/world/2025-ngo-statement-ahead-open-debate-protection-civilians http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2025/05/speech-there-is-no-pathway-to-peace-that-does-not-begin-with-the-protection-of-women-and-girls http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-deputy-executive-director-ted-chaibans-remarks-united-nations-security http://www.unicef.org/topics/armed-conflict http://www.unicef.org/children-under-attack http://data.stopwaronchildren.org   http://ukraine.ohchr.org/en/UN-Human-Rights-Monitors-Deplore-Deadly-New-Wave-of-Russian-Attacks-Across-Ukraine http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/un-human-rights-office-opt-more-fifty-cent-people-killed-gaza-week-were-shelters-and-residential-buildings http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2025/04/hundreds-killed-rsf-attacks-sudans-north-darfur http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/04/1162196 http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/atrocity-alert-no-440/ http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/atrocity-alert-no-435/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/04/comment-un-human-rights-office-spokesperson-ravina-shamdasani-continued   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/tools-protection-upholding-object-and-purpose-international-humanitarian-law-protecting-civilian-infrastructure-and-hospitals-side-event-during-poc-week-2025-friday-23-may-830-1000 http://reliefweb.int/report/world/epidemic-violence-violence-against-health-care-conflict-2024 http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/south-sudan/un-deplores-air-strike-hospital-south-sudan http://www.msf.org/msf-condemns-bombing-our-hospital-south-sudan http://www.msf.org/attacks-medical-care http://www.who.int/activities/stopping-attacks-on-health-care http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/open-letter-member-states-un-general-assembly-behalf-iasc-principals http://www.hhrjournal.org/2024/06/07/drone-attacks-on-health-in-2023-international-humanitarian-law-and-the-right-to-health/ http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)01115-7/fulltext   http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2025-05/protection-of-civilians-8.php http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/protection-of-civilians/ http://civiliansinconflict.org/press-releases/civic-launches-first-protection-of-civilians-trends-report-and-civilian-protection-index/ http://www.civilianprotectiontrends.org/index.html http://civiliansinconflict.org/blog/there-is-no-safe-place-for-civilians-in-conflict-qa-with-hichem-khadhraoui/ http://civiliansinconflict.org/remarks/civic-executive-director-addresses-unsc-open-debate-on-protection-of-civilians-in-armed-conflict http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/05/14/un-security-council-should-commit-people-disabilities http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/world/ocha-message-international-humanitarian-law http://www.unocha.org/humanitarian-access http://www.unocha.org/protection-civilians   * Protection of civilians in armed conflict - Report of the Secretary-General (May 2025): http://docs.un.org/en/S/2025/271   The United Nations Secretary-General has issued the 17th report on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) titled “Responsibility to Protect: 20 years of commitment to principled and collective action.”   As the international community marks two decades since the adoption of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) at the 2005 World Summit, the Secretary-General reflects on a troubling trend: despite the unanimous commitment to end atrocity crimes, such crimes have increased around the world, exposing a persistent gap between promises and meaningful action, particularly in the world’s gravest cases.   The Secretary-General issues a stark warning, noting that continued failures to protect populations – despite our improved understanding of risk factors and enhanced capacity for response – denote a deeper, alarming challenge to mobilizing response.   To address these challenges, the Secretary-General emphasizes the urgent need for renewed strategic investment and consistent, collective international action, offering concrete recommendations to more effectively implement R2P’s three pillars moving forward.   The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect would like to highlight the following key points from the report:   The pattern of state and non-state actors acting with blatant and systematic disregard for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) continues to expand exponentially.   Such violations and abuses of IHL and IHRL may constitute genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and/or ethnic cleansing or enable the commission of these crimes. Civilians are bearing the brunt of these abuses, with violence against civilians now reaching its highest level since 2015.   The profound change to the global peace and security landscape, including intensifying threats such as climate change, the weaponization of new technologies, misinformation and disinformation, growing inequality, shrinking civic space and the deterioration of human rights and the rule of law in many parts of the world is shaping the character and dynamics of atrocity crimes today.   Selective practices, double standards and failures to take concerted action in response to early warning information further inhibit the capacity to consistently prevent these crimes.   These patterns of abuses notwithstanding, in the last two decades, considerable progress has been made in capacities to prevent and respond to atrocities at the national, regional and multilateral levels and in the conceptual development and understanding of R2P.   To understand the holistic impact of these measures, states must examine efforts explicitly conducted under the aegis of R2P alongside complementary actions taken as part of their IHL obligations and the promotion and protection of human rights.   To address new and emerging threats, the international community will need to ensure that as they uphold principles agreed to in new agendas – such as the Global Digital Compact and the Pact for the Future – they concurrently utilize the lens of implementing R2P.   Civil society organizations, like the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, play a key role in advancing atrocity prevention at the national, regional and global levels.   Engaging with international civil society and local organizations who work with at-risk communities is essential in detecting early warning signs of atrocity crimes and supporting the development of long-term prevention strategies.   The Secretary-General highlights three main areas for action to strengthen the international response to the risk of atrocity crimes:   (1) prioritize the development of permanent preventive mechanisms at the national level; (2) share experiences and lessons learned on prevention and strengthen relations between national and regional entities in regional consultations; and (3) explore the development of strategic and technical guidance on implementing the responsibility to protect at the domestic, regional and multilateral levels.   SECTION II. Global context and emerging patterns of atrocity crimes   In this section, the Secretary-General contextualizes the patterns and impact of atrocity crimes across current global trends.   This section underscores that the rising occurrence of atrocity crimes and the persistence of impunity signal a concerning erosion of compliance with legal obligations and international norms.   The Secretary-General emphasizes that, although the formal determination of mass atrocity crimes rests with national and international courts, early warning and credible allegations too often fail to prompt timely and effective preventive or protective action.   Historic number of global conflicts characterized by atrocity crimes   Over the past two decades, there has been a historic increase in violent conflicts not seen since World War II, with a significant rise in crises that are characterized by atrocity crimes.   Across many countries, fundamental rights and freedoms are being eroded, with growing instances of repression and persecution against populations based on national, ethnic, racial and religious identity, or on actual and perceived political ideology.   The Secretary-General acknowledges several ongoing crises where civilians are bearing the brunt of violations of international law that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen.   Inter-state conflicts involving regional and international actors are playing an increasingly prominent role in today’s global peace and security landscape.   The Secretary-General underscores despite clear violations of international law, in some cases certain UN member states continue to provide financial and military support or actively weaken institutions responsible for ensuring accountability.   While many countries are pursuing sustainable resolutions to conflicts, the Secretary-General warned of the consequences of Security Council (UNSC) paralysis – due to the frequency of the use or threat of the veto by the Permanent Members – fueling perceptions of double standards and undermining effective international action.   Humanitarian impact of conflict   Recent armed conflicts are increasingly marked by blatant violations of core principles of IHL — such as distinction, proportionality and precaution – leading to a heightened risk of atrocity crimes.   The report highlights how large-scale conflicts in the Greak Lakes region, Lake Chad Basin, the Sahel, Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar and elsewhere have resulted in significant civilian casualties.   These deaths often result from indiscriminate or identity-based attacks. Beyond loss of life, the destruction of civilian infrastructure has led to mass displacement.   The report notes that the number of forcibly displaced people has grown dramatically – from 37 million in 2005 to a record 123 million by October 2024.   These populations, especially vulnerable groups such as minority groups, people with disabilities and the elderly, face grave protection risks, including violence, disappearances, torture, forced recruitment and gender-based violence – some of which may amount to atrocity crimes.   The use of counter-terrorism measures, along with the involvement of mercenaries and private military contractors, has worsened human rights abuses in some areas. These actions frequently allow perpetrators to sidestep accountability, deepening impunity and normalizing such violations.   Access to humanitarian assistance and attacks against humanitarian workers   The report discusses the severe restrictions on humanitarian access in conflict zones, as well as attacks on humanitarian workers, exacerbating the suffering of civilian populations.   Although the UNSC has condemned the use of starvation as a method of warfare and emphasized the legal obligation to ensure civilian access to aid, in 2024 blockades and restricted access to essential goods significantly affected civilians in the OPT, North Darfur, Syria and Yemen, resulting in acute food insecurity. The intentional destruction of health facilities and targeted attacks on medical workers result in tremendous human suffering and potential mass atrocity crimes.   The Secretary-General underscores that deliberate attacks on medical facilities and personnel protected under IHL constitute war crimes.   Use of explosive weapons and new technologies in populated areas   Parties to conflicts are increasingly using methods and means of warfare that show a blatant disregard for human life, in clear violation of international law and treaty obligations.   This trend includes the widespread use of explosive weapons in populated areas – such as aerial bombardments, missile strikes and improvised explosive devices – and deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure.   The indiscriminate use of such weapons is the primary cause of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian objects.   The Secretary-General expresses growing concern over the expanding use of artificial intelligence and new technologies, warning that these technologies can obscure accountability, lower the threshold for the use of force and may amplify the scale of atrocity crimes without proper safeguards.   Atrocity crimes in non-armed conflict contexts   Atrocity crimes often arise from deeply rooted injustices, human rights abuses and exclusionary practices that, if ignored, can escalate into collective violence. Fragile states are particularly vulnerable to such violence, with the suppression of civil and political rights a potential early warning sign.   Atrocity risks are further heightened in contexts facing governance breakdown, political instability or democratic backsliding.   The Secretary-General highlights alarming trends, including increased attacks on journalists, the rise of racism and hate speech targeting minority groups and the manipulation of technology and social media to spread harmful ideologies, dehumanization and incitement – factors that significantly raise the risk of atrocity crimes.   Discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity, along with restrictions on freedoms of expression, assembly and association, contribute to an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship.   These factors increase the risk of identity-based atrocity crimes. Indigenous Peoples face heightened risks due to ongoing legacies of violence, displacement and discrimination, despite legal protections.   The Secretary-General asserts that promoting diversity and protecting minority and Indigenous Peoples’ rights, along with broader civil, political, economic and cultural rights, is essential to building societal resilience and preventing atrocity crimes. The protection of civic space, freedom of expression and democratic governance is crucial.   SECTION III. Fulfilling the objectives of the responsibility to protect: good practices and lessons learned, 2005–2025   Despite persistent challenges, the Secretary-General acknowledges various national, regional and multilateral efforts that have supported the implementation of R2P. This section highlights progress made in areas of prevention, protection and accountability since R2P’s adoption..   http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/summary-2025-report/ http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/the-perils-of-loosening-hate-speech-protections/ http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/populations-at-risk-july-2025/   Mar. 2025   Speech given by Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council. (Extract)   "Today violations that were once considered abhorrent have, disturbingly, become normalized in conflicts around the world.   I stand before you to remind us of an undeniable truth: Every patient killed in a hospital bed, Every family buried under the rubble of their home, Every hostage stolen from their loved ones, Every prisoner tortured and deprived of basic dignity, Every city levelled, and every village destroyed – These are not unfortunate realities of war. They are a betrayal.   We must not become numb to that fact, or we risk sleepwalking into a world where the barriers that once restrained brutality in war are removed. The scale of the suffering we witness is not inevitable. It is the direct result of dismissive interpretations of international humanitarian law.   People have the power to change course, but it will require courage and leadership to move past divisions and recommit to the fundamental belief that human life must transcend political divides – both in war and in peacetime.   Together, international humanitarian law and international human rights law share a common goal: to protect human life, health, and dignity, no matter what country you were born in or what side of the front line you live on.   These bodies of law are mutually reinforcing. They need one another. The erosion of respect for one contributes to the erosion of the other.   In war, how can the right to health be fulfilled if hospitals are bombed? How can the right to food prevent hunger if crops are destroyed? How can children see their right to education come true if schools are attacked?   There is no right to life when civilians, and the infrastructure they rely on for survival, are systematically targeted. International humanitarian law exists to protect them in times of war.   The way wars are fought today will inform the way they are fought tomorrow. Where basic humanitarian rules are violated, rebuilding costs skyrocket, and new security threats fester.   We can choose a different path, one that promotes life, stability, and prosperity. This starts with committing to international humanitarian law and making it a political priority."   International humanitarian law (IHL) is a set of rules that seeks, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons (civilians) who are not participating in hostilities, and imposes limits on the means and methods of warfare.   IHL is also known as “the law of armed conflict”. IHL is part of public international law, which is made up primarily of treaties, customary international law and general principles of law. The four Geneva Conventions of 1949 (GC I, II, III and IV), which have been universally acceded to or ratified, constitute the core treaties of IHL.   IHL applies equally to all sides, regardless of who started the fighting and regardless of motives.   Persons (civilians) protected by IHL are entitled to respect for their lives, their dignity, and their physical and mental integrity. They are also afforded various legal guarantees. They must be treated humanely in all circumstances, with no adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion, faith, sex, birth, wealth, or any other similar criteria.   It is forbidden to murder them, or to subject them to torture. The wounded and the sick must be collected and cared for. In order to ensure the performance of these medical activities, medical personnel, units and transports must be respected and protected.   Access to humanitarian assistance for the civilian population affected by the conflict must be allowed and facilitated. Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is specifically prohibited under IHL.   Under IHL, humanitarian personnel and objects must be respected and protected. Prioritized measures must be afforded to certain groups of people, including children, women or persons with disabilities, this means they must be afforded specific respect and protection.   Restrictions on the means of warfare and the methods of warfare.   The right of parties to a conflict to choose means or methods of warfare is not unlimited. Restrictions apply to the type of weapons used, the way they are used and the general conduct of all those engaged in the armed conflict. In addition, IHL prohibits the use of means and methods of warfare that are of a nature to cause injury or unnecessary suffering.   IHL regulates the conduct of hostilities on the basis of three core principles: distinction, proportionality and precaution.   The principle of distinction requires that the parties to an armed conflict distinguish at all times between civilians and civilian objects on the one hand, and combatants and military objectives on the other, and that attacks may only be directed against combatants and military objectives.   The purpose of this is to protect civilians, civilian property and the civilian population as a whole. Direct attacks against civilians or civilian objects and indiscriminate attacks – that is, attacks that strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects without distinction – are prohibited.   The principle of proportionality, a corollary to the principle of distinction, dictates that, when attacking a military objective, loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, must not be excessive in relation to the military advantage anticipated. This principle requires parties to anticipate the harm that might be caused directly by an attack and the indirect (i.e. reverberating) effects.   The principle of precaution requires parties to an armed conflict to take constant care to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of all military operations. The principle also requires parties to a conflict to take a range of precautions in attack and a range of precautions against the effects of attacks to protect civilians and civilian objects.   With respect to precautions in attack, all feasible precautions must be taken to avoid or at least minimize civilian harm. Among others, this includes measures to verify that targets are military objectives and to give the civilian population an effective warning before the attack.   It can also entail restrictions on the location of an attack, as well as the weapons or tactics employed. At the same time, parties to an armed conflict must, to the maximum extent feasible, take necessary precautions to protect the civilian population and civilian objects against the effects of attacks. For example, it may include evacuating civilians from, or at least allowing them to leave, a besieged area where hostilities are taking place.   The rules on the conduct of hostilities also grant specific protection to objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population (including agricultural areas for the production of foodstuffs, crops or drinking water installations), and works and installations containing dangerous forces (dams, nuclear electrical generating stations..). The use of means and methods of warfare that are intended, or may be expected, to cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment are also prohibited.   The implementation of IHL is primarily the responsibility of states. They must respect and ensure respect for these rules in all circumstances (Article 1 common to the four Geneva Conventions). States must adopt legislation and regulations aimed at ensuring full compliance with IHL.   They must enact laws to provide effective penal sanctions for the most serious violations of the Geneva Conventions – the so-called “grave breaches” – violations that amount to war crimes.   The 1998 Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) established the Court’s jurisdiction to prosecute the most serious crimes of international concern, including war crimes (Article 8). By virtue of the principle of complementarity, its jurisdiction is intended to come into play only when a state is genuinely unable or unwilling to prosecute alleged war criminals over which that state has jurisdiction.   * Pope Leo XIV has condemned the the disregard of international humanitarian law as conflicts rage around the world and global institutions fail to end abuses and war crimes. “It is disheartening to see today that the strength of international law and humanitarian law no longer seems binding, replaced by the presumed right to overpower others,” the pontiff said. “This is unworthy and shameful for humanity and for the leaders of nations.”   http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/icrc-president-un-security-council-protection-civilians-armed-conflict http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/icrc-president-mirjana-spoljaric-58th-session-human-rights-council http://www.icrc.org/en/rulesofwar http://www.icrc.org/en/law-and-policy/respect-ihl http://blogs.icrc.org/law-and-policy/2025/02/06/a-call-to-make-international-humanitarian-law-a-political-priority/ http://www.icrc.org/en/global-initiative-international-humanitarian-law http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k12/k12ajz5mw5 http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/populations-at-risk-march-2025/ Visit the related web page
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