New video explains ICRC's role in development and implementation of IHL

28 February 2019

IHL - The Law in Practice is a new educational video resource that explores the ICRC's mission and mandate and provides a clear explanation of the role that the ICRC plays in the development and implementation of international humanitarian law.    

Using the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as a case study, the film looks at the close relationship between our operational experience in places like Hiroshima and the ICRC's approach to the law.

The experience of ICRC delegates in the field directly informs our approach to updating the law, engaging with States who make the law and ensuring that all those involved in armed conflict have an understanding of how to apply their obligations. The humanitarian consequences we see on the ground during times of armed conflict shape the role that the ICRC plays in the development of international treaties.

The process is a circle that aims to return to the field to increase the protection of those on the ground and reduce the suffering caused by armed conflict.

  • Dr Helen Durham, director of International Law and Policy, ICRC
  • Georgia Hinds, regional legal adviser in the Pacific, ICRC
  • Lou Maresca, adviser in the Weapons Contamination Unit, ICRC