What is the ICRC’s link to the Conventions?
The ICRC has been closely linked to the Geneva Conventions from the start. The founder of the ICRC, Henry Dunant, also had the idea for the First Geneva Convention, “for the amelioration of the condition of the wounded in armies in the field,” which was adopted in 1864. Since Dunant’s time, the ICRC has always tried to compare the Geneva Conventions, and IHL as a whole, to the reality of armed conflict as we experience it on the ground. From the very beginning, we have been part of a dynamic process which ensures that IHL is adapted to ongoing changes in warfare. For example, in the years leading up to the Second World War, the ICRC drafted and sought approval for an International Convention on the condition and protection of civilians of enemy nationality who were on a territory belonging to or occupied by a belligerent. No action was taken on that text since governments refused to convene a diplomatic conference to decide on its adoption. As a result, there was no specific treaty tha
