“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”: the ICRC’s approach to Common Article 3 in its updated Commentary

The updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention (GC IV) includes a number of important updates to its treatment of Common Article 3 (CA3). These relate primarily to three areas: the treatment of coalitions in non-international armed conflict (NIAC); the provision of support by one party to another; and questions of gender and the treatment of other marginalized groups. In this post – part of a joint blog symposium on the updated GC IV Commentary with EJIL: Talk! and Just Security – Associate Professor Katharine Fortin examines these developments, highlighting their significance and strengths while also pointing to areas that may warrant further reflection or study.

You can listen to “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”: the ICRC’s approach to Common Article 3 in its updated Commentary online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”: the ICRC’s approach to Common Article 3 in its updated Commentary is an episode from ICRC Humanitarian Law and Policy Blog by ICRC Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog.

This episode is 00:16:04 long.

This episode was published on Feb 19, 2026.

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