ICRC president: Next 76 years of Geneva Conventions will be shaped by choices leaders make
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, issued a statement to mark the 76th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 on August 12th.
Below is the full statement:
Geneva (ICRC) – Seventy-six years ago today, the world made a solemn promise through the Geneva Conventions that even in war, there are limits. Today, that promise is under serious threat.
The rules remain, but the commitment to uphold them is weakening, with catastrophic consequences for people trapped in conflict. These rules were not created to serve the powerful. They exist to protect the powerless: the civilian caught in the crossfire, the wounded on the battlefield, the prisoner behind bars.
Respect for the rules of war is not optional. Universally ratified, the Geneva Conventions are among the most widely accepted international treaties that – when respected – prevent brutality in war and preserve pathways back to peace.
Last September, the ICRC, alongside Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa, launched a global initiative to renew political will for international humanitarian law. More than 70 states have since joined us in this effort. I urge all states to do the same.
The protective power of IHL is only as strong as leaders’ political will to uphold it. The next 76 years of the Geneva Conventions will be defined by the choices they make today to preserve – or abandon – humanity in war.
and legal and administrative requirements. It is crucial that we stand in solidarity with these families and provide the necessary support and resources to help them navigate through this difficult journey of uncertainty and anguish.'
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, issued a statement to mark the 76th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 on August 12th.
Below is the full statement:
Geneva (ICRC) – Seventy-six years ago today, the world made a solemn promise through the Geneva Conventions that even in war, there are limits. Today, that promise is under serious threat.
The rules remain, but the commitment to uphold them is weakening, with catastrophic consequences for people trapped in conflict. These rules were not created to serve the powerful. They exist to protect the powerless: the civilian caught in the crossfire, the wounded on the battlefield, the prisoner behind bars.
Respect for the rules of war is not optional. Universally ratified, the Geneva Conventions are among the most widely accepted international treaties that – when respected – prevent brutality in war and preserve pathways back to peace.
Last September, the ICRC, alongside Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa, launched a global initiative to renew political will for international humanitarian law. More than 70 states have since joined us in this effort. I urge all states to do the same.
The protective power of IHL is only as strong as leaders’ political will to uphold it. The next 76 years of the Geneva Conventions will be defined by the choices they make today to preserve – or abandon – humanity in war.
and legal and administrative requirements. It is crucial that we stand in solidarity with these families and provide the necessary support and resources to help them navigate through this difficult journey of uncertainty and anguish.'
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, issued a statement to mark the 76th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 on August 12th.
Below is the full statement:
Geneva (ICRC) – Seventy-six years ago today, the world made a solemn promise through the Geneva Conventions that even in war, there are limits. Today, that promise is under serious threat.
The rules remain, but the commitment to uphold them is weakening, with catastrophic consequences for people trapped in conflict. These rules were not created to serve the powerful. They exist to protect the powerless: the civilian caught in the crossfire, the wounded on the battlefield, the prisoner behind bars.
Respect for the rules of war is not optional. Universally ratified, the Geneva Conventions are among the most widely accepted international treaties that – when respected – prevent brutality in war and preserve pathways back to peace.
Last September, the ICRC, alongside Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa, launched a global initiative to renew political will for international humanitarian law. More than 70 states have since joined us in this effort. I urge all states to do the same.
The protective power of IHL is only as strong as leaders’ political will to uphold it. The next 76 years of the Geneva Conventions will be defined by the choices they make today to preserve – or abandon – humanity in war.
and legal and administrative requirements. It is crucial that we stand in solidarity with these families and provide the necessary support and resources to help them navigate through this difficult journey of uncertainty and anguish.'
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ICRC president: Next 76 years of Geneva Conventions will be shaped by choices leaders make
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