International Community Must Prioritize Geneva Conventions, ICRC Urges

International Community Must Prioritize Geneva Conventions, ICRC Urges

On the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for a renewed political commitment to these crucial treaties.

“In a divided world, the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law embody universal values that preserve lives and dignity,” said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric. “They are essential to preventing and protecting against the worst effects of war, and ensuring that everyone, even an enemy, is treated as a human being.”

The Conventions, foundational treaties of international humanitarian law, have been remarkably successful in many ways. They save lives, prohibit torture and sexual violence, and require humane treatment of detainees. Most fundamentally, they reflect a global consensus that all wars have limits.

Nevertheless, 75 years after their adoption, international humanitarian law is under strain and, at times, even used to justify violence. Thus, the world must recommit to this robust, protective framework for armed conflict—one that saves lives rather than rationalizes death.

In 1999, the ICRC reported 20 active conflicts. Today, there are more than 120. Given this scale, President Spoljaric proposes four measures to reduce suffering:

1. Parties to armed conflict must make a renewed and profound commitment to the Geneva Conventions, adhering to the letter and the spirit of the law.

2. Tangible humanitarian improvements must be made in places affected by armed conflict.

3. States should ratify and uphold international humanitarian law (IHL) treaties, especially the Geneva Conventions’ additional protocols.

4. States must ensure that new technologies of warfare—AI, cyber, and information operations—strictly adhere to IHL and develop new limits on autonomous weapon systems.

The world has witnessed massive suffering in conflicts such as those between Israel and Gaza, and Russia and Ukraine. Violence in Ethiopia has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Fighting has displaced 8 million in Sudan. Protracted conflicts in the Central African Republic, Colombia, DRC, Myanmar, Syria, and Yemen have all imposed a severe human cost.

“Where are the peacemakers? Where are the men and women leading the negotiations and preserving the space to do so?” President Spoljaric asked. “I urge world leaders to negotiate. Respect for IHL during conflict can contribute to the transition to peace by removing at least some obstacles to peacemaking.”

Around the world’s war zones, the sanctity of hospitals is disregarded. Humanitarian access is impeded. Enemy fighters and civilian populations are dehumanized. Humanitarian workers—including ICRC and Red Cross Red Crescent Movement colleagues—are killed.

The deployment of new technologies may exacerbate these dangerous tendencies. If algorithms are trained on lax targeting rules, civilian casualties will increase. Without new legal limits, autonomous weapons might operate with little restraint, making life-and-death decisions without human oversight.

Over the next 75 years, the world needs to see robust adherence to the Geneva Conventions. Any other path is a betrayal of the commitment made on August 12, 1949.