War & Law

The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols

The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are at the core of international humanitarian law, the body of international law that regulates the conduct of armed conflict and seeks to limit its effects. They specifically protect people who are not taking part in the hostilities (civilians, health workers and aid workers) and those who are no longer participating in the hostilities, such as wounded, sick and shipwrecked soldiers and prisoners of war. Read full overview

Sixty years of the Geneva Conventions

The Additional Protocols

Treaty database : full texts, commentaries and State Parties

International Review of the Red Cross More articles

Domestic law

History

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Publications More publications

Distinction: Protecting civilians in armed conflict

A concise overview of the requirements of all parties to an armed conflict to distinguish between civilians and combatants, civilian objects and military targets.
The Geneva Conventions of August 12 1949

Full text of the four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949.