Humanity in War (ICRC)

How do young people today understand and feel about international humanitarian law (IHL) and the policies in place when it comes to armed conflict? It is no surprise that our youth are increasingly affected by war, in a world where situations are becoming more complex. We bear witness to active youth participation in a way we have never seen before – leading and joining protests, documenting and s...

Since the 7th of October, the world has witnessed a new and unimaginable wave of tragedy unfold across Israel and the occupied territories. As we pass the two-month mark of the intensification of this armed conflict, the armed violence continues to impact civilians minute by minute. As our colleagues on the ground engage in an exceedingly challenging humanitarian context, faced with many challenge...

Responsibility for maintaining law and order generally falls to civil authorities such as the police and other law enforcement agencies that are equipped, organized and trained for such operations. The primary role of most state armed forces, by contrast, is to protect their country against external threats (international armed conflict, IAC) and to deal with internal, non-international armed conf...

Attacks on and military use of education facilities frequently occur during armed conflict, disrupting and destroying education and the opportunities that it brings. When affected populations lose access to education, they lose the protection it offers to children and young people. Protecting and ensuring access to education during conflict is enshrined in international humanitarian law and is thu...

Persons with disabilities constitute approximately fifteen percent of the global population – a figure that only rises during crises. Armed conflicts, in particular, generate new disabilities, exacerbate the existing barriers faced by persons with disabilities, and expose the whole community to greater harm. Yet, the experiences of persons with disabilities in armed conflict and the effects of arm...

The ICRC has been present in Ethiopia since the 1977 Ethio-Somalia armed conflict. However, the eruption of conflict in Northern Ethiopia between the Ethiopian armed forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)in November 2020 led to a significant increase in humanitarian needs and a consequent upscaling of operations and . In this episode, ICRC’s Operational Legal Adviser based in Addis...

A recent edition of the International Review of the Red Cross dedicated its content to examining a seemingly simple question: 'How does international humanitarian law develop?', touching upon the history of international humanitarian law (IHL), its current status and future prospects. In this week’s episode of Humanity in War, podcast host Elizabeth Rushing unpacks these questions with Dr. Cordula...

Over the last several years, while attention was turned to tackling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public health, the economy, and society as a whole, the humanitarian consequences of conflict and violence in Colombia worsened. According to the figures, the effects of armed conflict and violence were higher in 2021 than at any other time in the past five years. In this week’s episode of Hu...

As with many humanitarian crises in the past, the international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine has revived heated discussions on the humanitarian principles and their relevance in contemporary armed conflict. We have all been reminded how the principles, in particular the principle of neutrality, can lead to misunderstanding and even outrage – and why they nonetheless remain such an ess...

The protection of health care personnel, patients and their families have been a cornerstone of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. In this episode, we speak with ICRC Head of Health Care in Danger (HCiD) initiative Maciej Polkowski and HCiD Humanitarian Affairs Adviser Juliet Kelechi Unubi, to reflect on ten years of HCID achievements, and current and future challenges with a s...

Although Saheliens are one of the smallest contributors of CO2 globally, the Sahel region is at the core of the harsh reality of climate change. In this episode, we speak with the former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention, Adama Dieng, to unpack the recent edition of the International Review of the Red Cross on The Sahel and look ahead to the COP27 on 6-18...

For the past seven months, the world has watched a humanitarian crisis unfold across Ukraine. Many of our readers have reached out to us directly with questions on how the rules of war – international humanitarian law (IHL) – apply to the conflict. We found other areas of interest by scanning what information people have searched for on the internet. In this episode, ICRC’s Chief Legal Officer Cor...

Armed conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies have a serious impact on mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. Today, on World Mental Health day, I’m sitting down with Marcello Roriz de Queiroz, ICRC’s Regional MHPSS delegate, based in Beirut, Lebanon.

In this discussion, recorded during the final days of his mandate, Peter Maurer reflects on his ten years as the ICRC’s president, providing a unique and personal reflection of his time as the organization’s chief diplomat during a decade of new and protracted armed conflict and geopolitical change.

In support and promotion of the upcoming ICRC report on the gendered impacts of armed conflict and implications for international humanitarian law (IHL) application, a conversation with ICRC International Law & Policy Director Dr Helen Durham, and UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin.

The discussion will be a taking stock of Helen Durham's last eight years as Director of International Law & Policy at the ICRC, reflecting on law and policy evolutions during her mandate and laying out the issues and challenges that lie ahead. We will also touch up on a personal look at her broader career in international law and her advice for young professionals.

In support and promotion of the recent International Review of the Red Cross edition on counterterrorism, a conversation with Naz Modirzadeh and Dustin Lewis on whether and how we can reconcile the current clash between a growing global counterterrorism architecture and impartial humanitarian activities.

“The principle of humanity stands out on its own in the doctrine of the Red Cross, and all other principles hang from it.” – Jean Pictet How do the Geneva Conventions apply to modern day armed conflicts, and are they up to the task? What are the core rules and principles of international humanitarian law (IHL), and what are the grey areas? How can we ensure humanitarian policy and diplomacy is sha...