(AGENPARL) – Thu 16 October 2025 Logo ICRC EN.jpg      International Committee of the Red Cross
** States call for protective interpretation of international humanitarian law in new report
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ICRC – News Release
16 October 2025
Geneva (ICRC) – Rising civilian casualties in urban warfare, increasing attacks on medical facilities and the rapid evolution of cyberweapons demand that states urgently recommit to the rules of war, the most important bulwark against barbarity in armed conflict, according to governments that are spearheading a global initiative on international humanitarian law.  
The first progress report on the initiative highlights concrete proposals from states to strengthen respect for international humanitarian law (IHL), including updated military training, stronger national accountability mechanisms, identifying risk factors that heighten the likelihood of violations and addressing them before or as they emerge. States also emphasized the importance of incorporating IHL rules into peace agreements and signalled readiness to respond to growing concerns about potentially unjustified attacks on medical facilities by exploring practical ways to strengthen precautions and verify allegations that hospitals are used for military purposes.
“The Geneva Conventions were designed to shield civilians, prisoners of war, detainees and those no longer taking part in the fighting. Their protective power must be upheld.  The lives of millions of people, and the very core of our shared humanity, depend on states faithfully upholding IHL,” said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric. “If states do not act now, the brutality seen in today’s wars risks becoming the baseline for conflicts tomorrow. It is within states’ power to preserve humanity during war, but they must take the political decision to stand firmly against any erosion of respect for the rules of war.”
“We were driven by a deep sense of responsibility and urgency to act decisively to stem the tide of violations of international humanitarian law the world is witnessing,” the founding states declared.
The progress report reveals that more than 130 states have participated in global and regional consultations over the past year, with an interpretation of IHL that safeguards people and civilian objects emerging as the common thread from these discussions. The findings demonstrate strong engagement, with 90 states formally joining the initiative and 27 states co-leading seven thematic work streams addressing contemporary challenges to IHL.
The ICRC calls on more states to rally behind and defend the protective spirit behind international humanitarian law. Placing civilians, humanitarian personnel and vital infrastructure at excessive and avoidable risk should not be disguised as military necessities. These are violations of the law. Without renewed resolve by all parties to armed conflict and those who have influence on them to respect the rules of war, atrocities and hostilities risk spiralling beyond control, causing irreversible human, political and economic harm. The global IHL initiative will culminate in a high-level meeting in 2026 dedicated to upholding humanity in war.
About the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
** For more information, please contact:
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Public Relations Unit | International Committee of the Red Cross | 19, avenue de la Paix | 1202 Geneva | Switzerland
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ICRC, Avenue de la Paix, 19, Geneva, . 1201 Switzerland