The humanitarian case for universalizing the Convention on Cluster Munitions
Cluster munitions cause harm both at the moment of attack and long after fighting has ended. By scattering submunitions across wide areas, o...
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ICRC Humanitarian Law and Policy Blog
The Humanitarian Law & Policy blog is a unique space for timely analysis and debate on international humanitarian law (IHL) issues and the policies that shape humanitarian action.
Episodes
20 of 305 episodes
Before the fighting begins: IHL and the location of military objectives
International humanitarian law (IHL) is primarily associated with the conduct of hostilities and the protection of people during armed confl...
Civilian protection has a dependency-chain problem
Civilian protection is often assessed by whether a person has been warned, evacuated, registered, sheltered or reached with relief. For many...
The machines must not choose who dies: a humanitarian case for disarming AI
As states race to develop autonomous weapons systems, the effort to agree binding international rules on machine decisions over life and dea...
Memorializing IHL violations in the age of AI: opportunities and risks for transitional justice
Memorialization, one of the five pillars of transitional justice, plays a vital role in preserving the memory of international humanitarian...
“A number that learned how not to scream”: the case for community-led metrics on protection
The international humanitarian system has built a sophisticated architecture for the protection of civilians, namely political resolutions,...
Amplifying Pacific voices: the region’s crucial role in advancing IHL
Pacific Island states have long demonstrated leadership in promoting peace, disarmament, and humanitarian values. From traditional customs t...
The shelter that shone in the distance | Written and Performed by Mamuch Bey
For the world's more than 120 million forcibly displaced people, the idea of refuge is not an abstraction – it is a horizon, an act of imagi...
African traditions and the protection of children in armed conflict
Across Africa, norms regulating the conduct of hostilities long predate the codification of modern international humanitarian law (IHL). The...
We helped individuals while harming persons: what conflict-affected communities deserve beyond beneficiary status
Conflict and displacement do more than destroy homes, livelihoods, and infrastructure. They also fracture the social relationships through w...
Climate resilience is not optional: what people in fragile, urban settings should expect from WASH
Climate change is intensifying water insecurity in fragile urban settings, where ageing infrastructure, rapid urbanization, and inequality a...
Life teaches before school does: the invisible curriculum of the super child
Refugee education is often framed in terms of access, infrastructure, and policy – but for children who grow up inside camps, meaningful lea...
Why Africa should act now on explosive weapons in populated areas: Malawi’s case for action
Across contemporary armed conflicts, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) has emerged as one of the gravest threats to ci...
Collaboration without over-reliance: the role of industry in making military AI "lawful by design"
In the policy debate on artificial intelligence (AI) in the military domain, there is a growing consensus that international humanitarian la...
Three lives, one vision: how Dunant, Demidoff and Abdelkader shaped modern humanitarianism
The brutal effects of war have long prompted efforts to limit suffering and preserve humanity in times of conflict. Across cultures, religio...
Enforced disappearances: universal responses to a worldwide phenomenon
Enforced disappearances remain an issue of profound seriousness, with lasting consequences for the families of those affected. These realiti...
Lebanon's wartime decision to ban anti-personnel mines
Lebanon’s accession last week to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) comes not in a time of peace, but amid ongoing conflict – pr...
Attacks on the medical mission: identification of issues and good practices
During the last decade, attacks against hospitals have been a hallmark of almost every conflict. What humanitarian medical practitioners hav...
Gender (re)balancing: the updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention
International humanitarian law (IHL) has long been critiqued for its gendered fault lines, specifically the marginalization of violence and...
Upholding IHL protections against the risks of ICT activities in armed conflict
Across the world, essential civilian services increasingly depend on information and communication technologies (ICTs). These same technolog...