At the Twenty-fifth International Conference of the Red Cross (Geneva, 1986) the ICRC presented its report on the identification of medical transports, including the action taken to implement Resolution VIII of the previous International Conference. The report stressed that in a naval conflict the protection of medical transports at sea largely depended on the technical means of identification available.

By adopting its Resolution III entitled “Identification of medical transports”, the Twenty-fifth Conference recognized the need for continuous efforts to ensure that the means used to signal and identify medical personnel, units and transports keep pace with technical advances.

Water, life-giving and bounteous, the symbol of fertility and purity, is also a source of fear, risk and danger, of covetousness and conflict. Serving many purposes, all equally necessary, it constitutes a vital resource of which man has always tried to regulate the use and management. But unlike peacetime legislation, reflected in the customs and practices of the most ancient societies as well as in the domestic and international legal instruments of modern times, the law of armed conflicts has devoted only few of its provisions expressly — and belatedly — to water. This is not so much a criticism as an observation and may be explained by the fact that water is indispensable in all circumstances. Apart from the consequences of natural disasters, when water may be either threatening or threatened, some human activities can harm the environment and impair the population's means of survival, of which water is the most essential. The effects of pollution or armed conflict are a case in point. The experience of modern warfare has shown, alas, that the civilian population and civilian objects are exposed to military operations and that in some cases thirst can prove to be more deadly than weapons. The only remedy lies in respect for the universally recognized rules, and in the following article attention will be drawn to the provisions of humanitarian law which apply to the protection of water in wartime (I).

The use of arms, projectiles, or material calculated to cause unnecessary suffering, and more especially of poisoned weapons (chemical and biological weapons), was banned under the conceptual framework of both the 1907 Hague Convention (IV) and the 1925 Geneva Protocol. In the discussions leading to a ban on the use of chemical weapons, diplomats from around the world referred to their use as “barbaric and dishonourable” because of their effect on soldiers or the likely indiscriminate impact on civilians. It is a universal achievement that it is now impossible to conceive of a world that does not show concern for civilians caught up in war. As international attention to the protection of civilians in internal armed conflicts grows, it is accompanied by renewed debate regarding regulation of warring parties' conduct through humanitarian and human rights law.

The first Statutes of the International Red Cross date back to 1928. Until then, the International Red Cross had no constitution.

It should not be deduced from this that the subject had not been considered. The First International Conference of the Red Cross (Paris, 1867) and the Second (Berlin, 1869) studied the question of the international organization of the Red Cross. Deferring consideration of the topic to a later session, they confirmed the ICRC in the tasks assigned it by Article 10 of the Resolutions of the 1963 Conference:

“The exchange of communications between the Committees of the various countries shall be made for the time being through the intermediary of the Geneva Committee.”

Source de vie et de bienfaits, symbole de fécondité et de pureté, l'eau est aussi porteuse de craintes, de risques et de dangers et elle est objet de convoitises et de conflits. Ses multiples fonctions, aussi nécessaires les unes que les autres, font d'elle une ressource vitale dont l'homme a toujours essayé de réglementer l'usage et la gestion. Mais contrairement au droit applicable en temps de paix, comme en témoignent les us et coutumes des sociétés les plus anciennes ou encore les instruments juridiques internes et internationaux des temps modernes, le droit des conflits armés n'a consacré à l'eau — expressément et tardivement — que certaines dispositions. Cela est moins un reproche qu'un constat et pourrait s'expliquer par le fait que l'eau est indispensable en toutes circonstances. Abstraction faite des conséquences des catastrophes naturelles où l'eau peut être menaçante et menacée, certaines activités poursuivies par l'homme peuvent engendrer des effets néfastes et dommageables pour l'environnement et les moyens de survie des populations, dont l'eau est l'élément de base. Il suffit d'évoquer les effets de la pollution ou des conflits armés. L'expérience des guerres contemporaines nous apprend, hélas!, que la population civile et les biens de caractère civil sont exposés aux opérations militaires et que, dans certains cas, la soif peut se révéler plus meurtrière que les armes. Seul le respect des règies universellement admises permettra d'y remédier, et nous insisterons, dans les développements qui suivent, sur les dispositions pertinentes du droit humanitaire applicables à la protection de l'eau en temps de guerre (I). Ecartant d'emblée certaines considérations relevant du jus ad bellum (l'eau, source de conflits) ou se rapportant à des situations «hydro-conflictuelles», nous aborderons quelques aspects pratiques en soulignant le rôle du CICR et des autres composantes du Mouvement international de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge (II) avant de formuler quelques remarques d'ensemble (III).

What does Hinduism have to say about the rules of armed conflict? How might Hinduism enrich the modern global discourse on international humanitarian law (IHL)? What convergences might be found, and what areas of divergence? This paper examines and contextualizes the rules of armed conflict advocated in classical Hindu texts, especially in the epic Mahābhārata, where important norms of Hinduism are established. It also examines the other major epic, the Rāmāyaṇa, and the Dharmaśāstras (Law Codes), as well as the Arthaśāstra, which takes an alternative (realpolitik) approach. This paper focuses on conduct during armed conflict (jus in bello), now synonymous for many with IHL, rather than considerations leading up to war (jus ad bellum). The paper seeks to illuminate both convergences and divergences with IHL and highlight particular Hindu approaches on the righteous (dharmic) application of violence. Like IHL, classical Hinduism values (1) proportionality of force during armed engagement; (2) the minimization of human suffering during combat; (3) care for survivors of war; (4) immunity towards non-combatants, especially civilians; and (5) balancing military necessity with humanity. With respect to divergences, classical Hinduism extols non-violence in ways that critique even the warrior's duty to engage in righteous war (dharma yuddha). In contrast to IHL, the Hindu epics have some different limitations; for instance, they limit the right to combat to a particular caste, the kṣatriyas, though this concept could be modernized to mean uniformed personnel of the State. The epics also disavow certain practices that are legal under IHL, such as ambushes and surprise attacks against legitimate targets. The Hindu proportionality provision goes beyond IHL by prescribing that only warriors of the same type should fight. With its many deeply ethical considerations, Hinduism enriches modern IHL through its heightened emphasis on fair and humane conduct in battle and its call towards compassion on behalf of both combatants and non-combatants.

Every day across the world, as people assemble, demonstrate and protest, their pictures, their messages, tweets and other personal information are amassed without adequate justification. Arguing that they do so in order to protect assemblies, governments deploy a wide array of measures, including facial recognition, fake mobile towers and internet shutdowns. These measures are primarily analyzed as interferences with the right to privacy and freedom of expression, but it is argued here that protest and other assembly surveillance should also be understood as an infringement of freedom of assembly. This is necessary not only to preserve the distinct nature of freedom of assembly that protects collective action, but also to allow for better regulation of surveillance and interference with internet communications during assemblies.

Siege warfare and its devastating humanitarian consequences have been one of the defining features of contemporary armed conflicts. While the most apparent restriction of siege warfare appears to be provided by the prohibition against starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare, the prevailing restrictive interpretation of this prohibition has left civilians remaining in a besieged area unprotected from the hardships they endure. This article demonstrates that shifting the focus from the prohibition against starvation to the rules regulating humanitarian relief operations does not seem helpful due to the ambiguities regarding the requirement of consent and the right of control of the besieging party. In remedying this protection gap, this article examines whether and how the principle of proportionality applies in the context of a siege. After analyzing whether the encirclement and isolation aspect of a siege can be considered an attack in the sense of Article 49(1) of Additional Protocol I (AP I), to which the proportionality principle applies, the article investigates how this principle operates in the context of a siege. It will be demonstrated that Article 57(2)(b) of AP I requires that the proportionality of a siege must be continuously monitored.

The Martens Clause owes its name to the diplomat and jurist Fyodor Fyodorovich Martens, a representative of the Russian Empire at the First Hague Conference in 1899. Drafted and proposed by Martens during the negotiations, yet as a spontaneous compromise, the Clause has been included in the preamble of the Hague Convention with Respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land and is still considered an important principle of international humanitarian law today. This article traces the biography and academic path of F. F. Martens and explores the enduring significance of the Martens Clause.

In its circular No. 478 of 15 April 1970, the International Committee of the Red Cross had the honour to inform you of its work since the XXIst International Conference of the Red Cross with a view to the reaffirmation and development of international humanitarian law applicable in armed conflicts, consistent with several resolutions adopted by that conference.

La première Conférence de la Croix-Rouge qui a lieu depuis la dernière révision, en 1929, de la Convention de Genève pour l'amélioration du sort des blessés et malades dans les armées en campagne, se doit de prendre au moins acte de cet événement.

Les opérations de maintien de la paix des Nations Unies ont connu une croissance sans précédent ces derniéres années, et plus particulièrement en 1992. Entre 1945 et 1987, treize de ces opérations ont été accomplies, alors que depuis, quatorze autres ont vu le jour. En 1992 même, trois nouvelles opérations ont été lancées au Cambodge, dans l'ex-Yougoslavie et en Somalie, et, en 1993, une autre au Mozambique. Au cours de l'année 1992, le nombre de personnel de l'ONU engagé sur le terrain a été quadruple et dépasse 50.000 personnes, avec un budget total qui a atteint environ 2,5 milliards de dollars à la finde 1992.

Humanitarian organizations dealing with migrants have long prioritized such people according to legal and institutional categories, therefore focusing on those fleeing conflict, violence or persecution. In a departure from this tradition, it was recommended at the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent that the Movement should take an inclusive approach towards addressing the humanitarian dimension of migration, irrespective of the status of the migrants of concern. This article discusses the shift towards such an approach, and how it has been implemented in the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' migration policy.

As cash increasingly becomes an essential part of humanitarian assistance, it is critical that practitioners are aware of, and work to mitigate, exposure to protection risks among the most vulnerable recipients. This article presents findings from qualitative research exploring protection risks and barriers that arise in cash programming for internally displaced persons at high risk of violence and exploitation in Cameroon and Afghanistan. The authors conclude with recommendations for mainstreaming global protection principles into cash programmes, as well as key considerations for designing and implementing cash programmes in ways that minimize existing risks of harm and avoid creating new ones.

Dans son livre L'infirmière à travers les âges, L. R. Seymer raconte qu'au temps jadis, les soins infirmiers étaient confiés à des esclaves. Lorsque les soins n'aboutissaient pas à la guérison, le malheureux infirmier mourait avec son maître et comme il y avait beaucoup d'esclaves et peu de maîtres, cela ne marquait pas.

Depuis plusieurs mois l'attention du Comité international de la Croix-Rouge était attirée sur la situation des indigènes fuyant la zone de combat du Rif pour se réfugier à Tanger. En novembre dernier, dans le Bulletin des Sociétés nationales de la Croix-Rouge, il annonçait le départ d'un délégué chargé de se rendre compte de la situation exacte de ces réfugiés. Parti le 24 novembre, le Dr Henri Mentha est rentré à Genève le 10 décembre. C'est le compte rendu de sa mission que l'on va lire ci-dessous (N. d. l. R.

In a letter dated 27 May 1977, Mr. Mierre Micheli, member of the International Committee of the Red Cross, tendered his resignation from the ICRC for health reasons, with effect from 1 June.