Cordula Droege

Engaging non-state armed groups on the protection of missing people and their families Preventing disappearances in war: what non-state armed groups can do to protect families and treat the dead with dignity under IHL.

👥 Maintaining family links, clarifying the fate of the missing, & honouring the dead are not only a humanitarian imperative, but a legal duty.

Insights from 64 #NSAGs reveal practical ways to implement these obligations.

Read more → bit.ly/3NlwAOx

ICRC president urges respect for rules of war as major military escalation starts in the Middle East Geneva (ICRC) – The following is a statement attributable to ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric on the escalation of major military operations in the Middle East:

ICRC urges respect for #IHL in escalation Iran, Israel, US. Attacks may only be directed at military objectives. The parties must abide by the principles of distinction, proportionality & precaution & take constant care to spare the civilian population & civilian objects
www.icrc.org/en/statement...

What is the ICRC Advisory Service? | International Humanitarian Law YouTube video by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

The @icrc.org Advisory Service on International Humanitarian Law #IHL supports states in translating their international obligations into domestic legislation, policy and practice to create a universal culture of compliance with #IHL.
Here’s how👇

youtu.be/bPJT2H4czj4

Excellent opportunity to work with a great team @icrc.org 👇

careers.icrc.org/job/Geneva-%...

The Global International Humanitarian Law Initiative to hold a High-Level Conference on Humanity in War in Jordan in 2026 Today, the six founding States of the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitment to International Humanitarian Law announce that the High-Level Conference on Humanity in War will be held in t...

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Jordan to host High-level Conference on Humanity in War later this year www.petra.gov.jo/Include/Inne...

The harder it is, the more urgent it becomes.
The Global #IHL Initiative announces that the High-Level Conference on Humanity in War will take place in Jordan Q4 2026.
Leaders must show political courage to defend the rules of war.
icrc.org/en/statement/g…

#GenevaConventions

Commentary on the guidelines for protecting schools and universities from military use during armed conflict

When schools are turned into battlefields, children, families and communities bear the consequences.
Read the new ICRC Commentary on the “Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use During Armed Conflict”:
www.icrc.org/en/publicati...

Happy to see a strong outcome document from Costa Rica, Ireland & Norway: strengthen national policy & practice (esp. §3.3), empower focal points, improve data on reverberating effects, share detailed good practices, support victims & expand outreach.
#EWIPA #IHL #CivilianProtection

ICRC recommendations for the 2025 EWIPA Conference call for concrete national action: focal points, doctrine updates, transparency, reviews of weapon use & lessons-sharing — to move from endorsement to real protection.
🔗 www.icrc.org/en/article/i...

#EWIPA #IHL #HumanitarianAction #StopTheHarm

ICRC-IFRC joint statement to the second conference on the Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas

The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement urges States to turn the EWIPA Political Declaration into practice: avoid wide-area explosive weapons in cities, align policies with commitments & promote universal adherence.
🔗 www.icrc.org/en/article/i...

#EWIPA #RedCross #RedCrescent #CivilianProtection

ICRC president: Use of explosive weapons in populated areas requires a collective response

“What kind of warfare are we prepared to accept?”
@ICRC
President warns that explosive weapons with wide-area effects should be avoided in populated areas. Civilian harm is predictable — and preventable.
🔗 icrc.org/en/statement...
#EWIPA #IHL #ProtectionOfCivilians #UrbanWarfare

The use of artificial intelligence #AI in armed conflict detention is no longer a distant prospect. To be compliant with international humanitarian law #IHL, it must remain human-centred and follow clear principles and safeguards.

Sixty years on: why the Fundamental Principles must be lived, not just remembered The Fundamental Principles are living commitments that must be exercised and defended, to keep humanity alive in the darkest of times.

The fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are practical tools necessary to carry out our humanitarian mission.
States parties to the Geneva Conventions are bound at all times to respect our adherence to these Principles.
blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli...

I invite you to read this blog, written by my colleague Jean-Marie Haenckerts, head of the Geneva Conventions commentaries team, about the relevance of doing this huge work, that took almost 5 years of consultations and research.
#GenevaConventions
t.co/nBnvHKN8nV

This is a must-have guide for practitioners. The updated Commentary on the 4th Geneva Convention helps align the interpretation of international humanitarian law with 75 years of legal evolution, new technologies, and modern State practice.
Read it here👉🏽 ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treat...

How should the Geneva Conventions be interpreted in today’s wars? YouTube video by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

@icrc.org has updated our Commentary to the Fourth Geneva Convention, translating 1949 protections into today’s realities.
Protecting civilians in the hands of the enemy, in occupied territory - the 4th Geneva Convention remains more relevant than ever.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXd41pXzQuY

You can find the report here:
l1nq.com/3OqNB

The #GenevaConventions were designed to shield those not or no longer 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.

sl1nk.com/jlC5i

📢Watch here the launch of the progress report of the Global initiative to galvanize political commitment for international humanitarian law - the product of consultations with 130 states, expert meetings and events around the world:
#IHL
youtube.com/live/-SzsS0NHG… via @YouTube

Autonomous Weapon Systems and International Humanitarian Law: Selected Issues To support current international efforts to regulate autonomous weapon systems (AWS), the ICRC has prepared this position paper to clarify how international humanitarian law (IHL) applies to AWS

Autonomous weapon systems and international humanitarian law.
This @icrc.org paper examines how the rules of #IHL apply to AWS & why existing IHL does not hold all the answers to the legal, ethical & societal challenges they pose.
#LAWS #GenevaConventions #Disarmament
www.icrc.org/en/article/a...

The Global #IHL initiative goes to Central Asia!
Ambassador-at-Large of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reaffirms strong to upholding international humanitarian law, learning the lessons of World War II, and protecting human dignity, inspiration, and justice in all conflicts.

How is an “armed conflict” legally defined and why do definitions matter? Legally defining and classifying armed conflicts has real-world consequences. Warring parties must know and respect international humanitarian law and preserve humanity in the chaos of war. In this video, the ICRC's Chief Legal Officer, Cordula Droege, explains how a war or “armed conflict” is defin

What is the legal definition of an "armed conflict"? This is more than theory; answer to this question impacts real lives and responsibilities for warring parties, states and non-state armed groups.
Watch this explainer by @corduladroege.bsky.social

We cannot let artificial intelligence in military applications develop without human oversight and regulation, lest algorithms replace human judgment and control in life and death decisions.
@ICRC statement at #UNGA80:
icrc.org/en/statement/w…x.com/ICRC/status/.../1

You can find information on the Global Initiative to galvanise political commitment for #IHL at www.upholdhumanityinwar.org/documentation, including
✅ Workstreams
✅ Next events and consultations
✅ Statements from states in previous consultations

www.un.org/sg/en/conten...

World leaders united in defence of international humanitarian law to uphold humanity in war (21 September 2025) Alarmed by widespread violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) in conflicts around the world and the resulting unconscionable human (…)

In the face of egregious and widespread violations of international humanitarian law in conflicts around the world, we need to act. Leaders of 🇿🇦🇧🇷🇨🇳🇫🇷🇯🇴🇰🇿 together with @ICRC urge States and the international community to uphold the #GenevaConevntions

www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-fo...