Geneva (CICR) – 76 years ago today, the world was solemnly committed, through the Geneva conventions, to respect certain limits even in time of war. This commitment is seriously threatened today.
The rules have not changed, but the desire to comply with it continues to weaken, with catastrophic consequences for people trapped in conflicts. These rules were not created to serve the powerful, but to protect the most vulnerable: civilians in the tumult of the fighting, the wounded on the battlefields, the prisoners behind bars.
Respect for the law of war is not optional. Universally ratified, the Geneva conventions are among the most widely accepted international treaties and contribute – when respected – to prevent violence in wartime as well as to maintain open ways towards the return to peace.
Last September, the ICRC launched, alongside South Africa, Brazil, China, France, Jordan and Kazakhstan, a global initiative aimed at revitalizing political commitment to international humanitarian law. More than 70 states have since joined the initiative, and I have urged all the others to do the same.
The protective power of international humanitarian law is only due to the political will of leaders to respect and enforce this right. The future of Geneva conventions will depend on the choices they make today in order to preserve – or deny – humanity in the war.
