UNITED NATIONS, January 29, 2025 (WSH) — The erosion of respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) is reaching a crisis point, threatening the very humanity it seeks to protect, warned Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in an address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
Urgent Call for Global Action
President Spoljaric urged UN member states to join a global initiative led by the ICRC, alongside Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and South Africa, to reinvigorate political commitment to IHL.
“This is an exceptional measure because the current situation demands it,” she said. “Future wars will be fought based on the standards set today, and for the sake of civilians, we cannot afford for those standards to be lowered any further.”
She welcomed the support from states acknowledging that “wars have rules” and emphasized the need for immediate action to strengthen compliance with international humanitarian norms.
Field Observations: A Dire Reality
President Spoljaric’s remarks came after visits to Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank earlier this month. She painted a grim picture of the consequences of war, pointing to hospitals reduced to rubble, civilian neighborhoods destroyed, and innocent lives lost.
“This is not an abstract issue,” she stated. “It affects millions of lives daily and costs hundreds of billions of dollars to recover from.”
Roadmap for Strengthening IHL Compliance
The global initiative, open to all states, will work over the next two years to develop concrete recommendations to improve respect for IHL. These efforts will culminate in a global summit in 2026, reaffirming a shared commitment to the rules of war and their role in preserving human dignity.
About the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial, and independent organization mandated by the 1949 Geneva Conventions. It provides humanitarian aid and protection to people affected by armed conflicts worldwide, working closely with Red Cross and Red Crescent partners to alleviate suffering and safeguard human dignity.
