https://www.theihlreview.org/articles daily 0.75 2026-08-06 https://www.theihlreview.org/articles/the-origins-of-international-humanitarian-law-before-there-were-rules-there-was-solferino monthly 0.5 2026-08-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a74176529d8760bfcbfa773/56cee535-f472-4034-9b0d-a0b3dca3df4d/Henry_Dunant-young.jpg Articles - The Origins of International Humanitarian Law: Before There Were Rules, There Was Solferino Dunant had not travelled to Solferino as a soldier, diplomat, or physician. Yet what he encountered would reshape the development of international law. Disturbed by the suffering before him, he organised local civilians to care for wounded soldiers without distinction of nationality. The principle was remarkably simple: humanity should not depend upon the uniform one wears. Three years later, Dunant published A Memory of Solferino, documenting the events he had witnessed and proposing two ideas that would become foundational to modern international humanitarian law. First, that every state should establish voluntary relief societies trained to care for the wounded during armed conflict. Second, that governments should adopt an international agreement protecting both the wounded and those providing medical assistance. hese proposals quickly gained international attention. In 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was established in Geneva. A year later, representatives of twelve states adopted the First Geneva Convention, marking the first multilateral treaty dedicated exclusively to the humanitarian regulation of armed conflict. The Convention required the protection of wounded soldiers, medical personnel, military hospitals, and ambulances, while introducing the Red Cross emblem as a symbol of protected humanitarian assistance. The image is that of Henry Dunant, in his youth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a74176529d8760bfcbfa773/8fd21d2b-9d23-4147-abc3-0e4802af4923/Accampamento_di_Piemontesi.jpg Articles - The Origins of International Humanitarian Law: Before There Were Rules, There Was Solferino More than 160 years after Solferino, the battlefield has changed beyond recognition. Warfare now extends into cyberspace, autonomous technologies, densely populated urban environments, and conflicts involving non-state armed groups. Yet the central purpose of international humanitarian law remains unchanged. Its objective is neither to legitimise war nor to decide its victors. It is to preserve human dignity where peace has already failed. The image is that of the Battle of Solferino. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a74176529d8760bfcbfa773/fea83019-26a1-4527-83cc-05cd468a0a05/Original_Geneva_Conventions.jpg Articles - The Origins of International Humanitarian Law: Before There Were Rules, There Was Solferino The origins of international humanitarian law remind us that legal progress is often written in response to human tragedy. Every protection afforded to a civilian, every prisoner of war treated with dignity, and every humanitarian worker operating under the protection of the law traces its lineage to a single battlefield in northern Italy—and to one individual's refusal to accept that suffering without limits was inevitable. War has changed. The need for humanity has not. The image is that of the first ever Geneva Convention that ever occurred. -A.H. https://www.theihlreview.org/articles/whatisinternationalhumanitarianlawandwhydoesitmatte-b6wtm monthly 0.5 2026-08-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a74176529d8760bfcbfa773/d574c413-d522-4138-a7e5-7301f0d4589a/V-P-CER-N-00000B-06.png Articles - What Is International Humanitarian Law? And Why Does It Matter? - Make it stand out Drafting of the 1949 Geneva Convention https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a74176529d8760bfcbfa773/417659f6-f62f-4421-be50-aa9caeee2a6e/_87071570_treaty.jpg Articles - What Is International Humanitarian Law? And Why Does It Matter? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.theihlreview.org/home daily 1.0 2026-08-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a74176529d8760bfcbfa773/4b1b7e69-b6c0-41e2-ab38-26f87952b2f0/pexels-bhabin-tamang-169332034-14676984.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a74176529d8760bfcbfa773/afcfb351-4a20-41e4-9027-7fe1bfe91edd/courtroom-international-court-justice-hague-netherlands-ornate-interior-grand-arched-ceiling-intricate-woodwork-442253048.jpg.webp https://www.theihlreview.org/about daily 0.75 2026-08-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a74176529d8760bfcbfa773/1785999710125-4UCDJOITO9U2PZW3Q30B/unsplash-image-nXt5HtLmlgE.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a74176529d8760bfcbfa773/1786000118337-Y190DKOT8PGIHNH481N7/unsplash-image-y7JdGfa3jns.jpg https://www.theihlreview.org/contact daily 0.75 2026-08-06