Thirty years on, 1977 Additional Protocols remain key to protecting civilians in conflict
Geneva (ICRC) – Friday June 8 is the 30th anniversary of Protocols I and II additional to the 1949 Geneva Conventions that seek to protect civilians in conflicts.
“The Additional Protocols provide a crucial legal framework for the protection of civilians in armed conflict,” said Philip Spoerri, ICRC's director for international law. “In this respect they remain as relevant in conflicts today as they were when they were adopted 30 years ago.”
The 1977 Additional Protocols were drawn up essentially as a response to the increased suffering of civilians in armed conflict due in part to developments in weapons technology. They introduced essential rules relating to the conduct of hostilities and the methods and means of warfare, the aim of which was to strengthen protection for civilians. In particular, they formulated the important principle of distinction between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives.
“Increasingly, civilians are bearing the brunt of war,” said Isabelle Daoust, international humanitarian law advisor at Canadian Red Cross. “Observing the principle of distinction between civilians and combatants is indispensable for protecting civilians.”
The 1977 Additional Protocols were also a response to the proliferation of internal armed conflicts. Indeed, Additional Protocol II was the first treaty ever devoted exclusively to the protection of the victims of such conflicts.
At present, 167 States are party to Additional Protocol I and 163 States to Additional Protocol II. This makes the 1977 Additional Protocols among the most widely accepted legal instruments in the world.
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For further information, please contact:
Canadian Red Cross
Public Affairs Line
(613) 740-1994
ICRC Geneva
Claudia McGoldrick
+41 22 730 20 63
