Reference :
V-F-CR-F-04319-A
Date :
20/10/2025
Title :
Updated commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Duration :
00:02:15
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Commissioned production company :
Habefast
Description :
Cordula Droege, ICRC's chief legal officer explains : "the Fourth Geneva Convention is a convention that has been ratified universally by all states, and it protects civilians in situations of war. And it also contains obligations, for instance, the obligations of occupying powers towards the civilian population, obligations towards those who are detained.
Why an updated commentary? When you look at today's conflicts and you see the devastation, what you also see is that the rules are in fact turned on their heads and used to justify things that they were precisely meant to prevent. So the aim in a way is twofold. One is to contribute to clarify the interpretation of the rules by giving the latest jurisprudence, the latest state practice, and to in a way come back to the universal interpretation that we need to have in order to protect people across the lines. The second is really to bring protection, the protective purpose of this convention that is meant to protect civilians in armed conflict back at the centre of the interpretation. So this protective purpose is really what we need to bring back.
Who is it for? And so the commentary is there to give an overview to the reader of everything that has happened in terms of how states have applied the rules, how academics have interpreted, how judges have interpreted these rules. And so everything is in one place to give the practitioner, the reader, a good overview on how these rules can be interpreted.
How can it be used concretely? So for instance, let's say you're a legal adviser to a military and you have to draft some rules on how to treat detainees that you've captured. Or let's say you're a judge and you have to interpret what is humane treatment. And now you have a question, for instance, on digital privacy or on the application of artificial intelligence in the detention setting. If you go to the commentary to the respective rules in the Geneva Conventions and the updates, you will get the newest updates, including on what the new technologies mean for the interpretation of the rules."
Colour/B&W :
colour
SD/HD :
HD
Resolution :
1920 x 1080
Aspect ratio :
16/9
Original material/format :
H264
Best material/format available :
ProRes 422
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