Dear Readers,

As we usher in the new year, I want to take a moment to thank you for your engagement with the ICRC’s work promoting humanitarian law and policy during a time of profound challenges and pivotal milestones. This Wrap-Up Newsletter reflects on a year marked by key achievements and evolving challenges for international humanitarian law (IHL).

Amid the turbulence of 2024, the enduring relevance of IHL came into sharp focus, underscoring its essential role in protecting lives and dignity in armed conflict. This past year, we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, highlighted by the Challenges Report, landmark resolutions adopted at the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and the launch of the Global Initiative on IHL to renew political support for these vital laws.

In the Humanitarian Law and Policy platform, we explored IHL’s legacy and its application in today’s conflicts through different thematic series. We also launched submissions for the Emerging Voices series, spotlighting innovative perspectives on IHL from underrepresented regions.

As we step into 2025, we remain committed to fostering dialogue and advancing understanding of the principles that protect humanity in conflict. Thank you for sustaining this platform as a space for critical reflection and engagement. Together, let us reaffirm our shared purpose of ensuring dignity and protection in the most challenging of times. 

With warm regards,

Elizabeth J. Rushing
Editor-in-Chief

Humanitarian Law & Policy

 Humanitarian Law and Policy Platform: Top Posts

• Samit D’Cunha, Tristan Ferraro, Thomas de Saint Maurice, Defining armed conflict: some clarity in the fog of war, May 2, 2024
  
• Megan O’Brien, Online violence: real life impacts on women and girls in humanitarian settings, January 4, 2024                                        
  
• Ingvild Bode, Falling under the radar: the problem of algorithmic bias and military applications of AI, March 14, 2024                                 

• Véronique Christory, ‘Catching up with the curve’: the participation of women in disarmament diplomacy, August 25, 2022
• Ellen Policinski, War’s long legacy: the continued importance of the Geneva Conventions 75 years later, August 8, 2024
• Rayyan Ghuma, Birhane Wossen Reta, Victim/survivor-centeredness, data protection and open-source collection in accountability: lessons from IIIM-Syria, January 9, 202

Editor's Picks

De-dehumanization: practicing humanity

Why is the ICRC concerned by ‘harmful information’ in war?

War and what we make of the law

Principles under pressure: have humanitarian principles really stood the test of time?

Law and Policy Public Events

• Contemporary Armed Conflicts: Realities and How IHL Addresses them, November 26, 2024
• Artificial Intelligence in Military Decision-Making: Legal and Humanitarian Implications, May 14, 2024
• Gender and IHL: Practical Implications for Military Operations, March 25, 2024

Must-See Moments

International Review of the Red Cross: Latest Editions

Fundamental Principles, April 2024

Selected Articles, August 2024

Outreach Amplified

• The UNICRI report "Beneath the Surface" cited our post "8 rules for 'civilian hackers' during war, and 4 obligations for states to restrain them" to address the legal framework surrounding civilian involvement in cyber warfare.
• The European Parliament report "Recommendation on Preventive Diplomacy" referred to our post titled "Gendered impacts of armed conflict and implications for the application of IHL" to note that women and men experience and understand violent conflict and peace differently.
• During his address at the 79th UN General Assembly, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, cited our post "ICRC engagement with armed groups in 2023" to highlight the potentially destabilizing role of non-state actors, who control areas with millions of residents globally.

Was this email forwarded to you?

Subscribe here to receive ICRC's monthly Law & Policy Newsletter.