Commitment to Geneva conventions weakening, ICRC president warns

According to the statement, the international rules of war were created “to protect the powerless: the civilian caught in the crossfire, the wounded on the battlefield, the prisoner
behind bars”

Countries’ commitment to the Geneva Conventions is weakening, with their
observance being under threat, President of the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement marking the 76th anniversary of
the four Geneva Conventions of 1949.

“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 statement says. “The rules remain, but the commitment to uphold them is weakening, with catastrophic consequences for people trapped in conflict.”

According to the statement, the international rules of war were created “to protect the
powerless: the civilians caught in the crossfire, the wounded on the battlefield, the prisoner behind bars.”

“The protective power of IHL (international humanitarian law) 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,” Spoljaric emphasized.

Four international treaties establishing international legal standards for humanitarian treatment of civilians, prisoners of war (POWs) and soldiers during wartime, known as the Geneva Conventions, were adopted on August 12, 1949.

They replaced international treaties of 1864, 1906, and 1929. Switzerland was the first to ratify the 1949 Geneva Conventions on March 31, 1950. This was followed by other countries .