Efforts to address the ethical challenges posed by autonomous weapon systems are growing. In December 2023, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution requesting the Secretary-General to seek states’ views for addressing, among other issues, the ethical challenges posed by these systems, and in April 2024 Austria is hosting the conference ‘Humanity at the Crossroads:... The post The road less travelled: ethics in the international regulatory debate on autonomous weapon systems appeared first on Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog ..read more

The widespread use of heavy explosive weapons has reached alarming levels, exacting a staggering toll on civilian lives. From Gaza to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan to Syria, and Ukraine to Yemen and Myanmar, the suffering of civilians and destruction is immense, scarring communities long after the bombing stops – but it is... The post Protecting civilians in conflict: the urgency of implementing the Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas appeared first on Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog ..read more

From frontline female combatants with the People’s Defence Force in Myanmar to queer Syrian refugees living in displacement in Lebanon, from seasonal workers on the factory floor of textile companies in Bangladesh to adolescents vulnerable to early marriage to fighters of armed groups in Somalia, the need of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)... The post What are the transformative potentials of sexual and reproductive health and rights in humanitarian assistance: a feminist inquiry appeared first on Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog ..read more

The draft elements of the resolution ‘Toward a universal culture of compliance with international humanitarian law’ elaborated for the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent ‘welcome the increasing number of voluntary reports published by states on the domestic implementation of international humanitarian law (IHL)’ (para. 13). This recognizes how voluntary reports... The post Voluntary reports: a new tool ‘toward a universal culture of compliance with IHL’ appeared first on Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog ..read more

Before the Lieber Code and Geneva Conventions came a treaty between the Spanish Empire and Simon Bolivar’s revolutionary forces in Colombia and Venezuela. The 1820 Treaty for the Regularization of War aimed at reducing the unnecessary suffering of both soldiers and civilians affected by armed conflict and occupation across a broader spectrum than any previous... The post Codifying IHL before Lieber and Dunant: the 1820 treaty for the regularization of war appeared first on Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog ..read more

The Asia-Pacific region is diverse in religious, ethnic and historical backgrounds as well as in economic development. However, armed conflict is often not recognized by states in the region, and if it is, there is an expectation that they will address such issues internally. The region is also known for having the fewest ratifications of... The post From theology to technology: a call for IHL ambassadors in the Asia-Pacific region appeared first on Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog ..read more

As part of the historic 2016 peace agreement, the “Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-repetition” (hereafter the Colombian Truth Commission) was established to focus on victims and their right to the truth with an emphasis on the way different people were impacted by the armed conflicts. The findings of the Commission’s subchapter,... The post What can the humanitarian community learn from the Colombian Truth Commission’s LGBTIQ-subchapter? appeared first on Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog ..read more

Last week, states parties met for the first session of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) in 2024. This debate featured the GGE’s most substantive discussion to date about bias under the topic “risk mitigation and confidence building”, including around a working paper dedicated to bias by Canada, Costa... The post Falling under the radar: the problem of algorithmic bias and military applications of AI appeared first on Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog ..read more

Two years ago, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Central Tracing Agency activated a dedicated Bureau for the international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the first time since the Gulf Wars. The role of such a Bureau includes helping locate missing persons. While this is a key function of the ICRC’s Central... The post The transmission of information by the ICRC’s Central Tracing Agency in international armed conflicts appeared first on Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog ..read more

From traditional media to social media, coordinated information campaigns or operations, the ways in which harmful information can enable or aggravate risks of harm for civilians are constantly evolving. However, evidence of risk factors remains incomplete, and solutions elusive. In this post, Chris Brew, a former Protection Associate with the ICRC, looks to previous examples... The post From content to harm: how harmful information contributes to civilian harm appeared first on Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog ..read more