Geneva Conventions
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Development of the Geneva Conventions from 1864 to 1949. |
The
Geneva Conventions consist of four
treaties formulated in
Geneva,
Switzerland, that set the standards for
international law for humanitarian concerns. The conventions were the results of efforts by
Henri Dunant, who was motivated by the horrors of war he witnessed at the
Battle of Solferino in 1859.
As per article 49, 50, 129 and 146 of the Geneva Conventions I, II, III and IV, respectively, all signatory states are required to enact sufficient national law to make grave violations of the Geneva Conventions a punishable criminal offence.
The conventions and their agreements are as follows:
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First Geneva Convention "for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field" (first adopted in
1864, last revision in
1949)
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Second Geneva Convention "for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea" (first adopted in
1949, successor of the
1907 Hague Convention X)
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Third Geneva Convention "relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War" (
first adopted in 1929, last revision in
1949)
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Fourth Geneva Convention "relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War" (first adopted in
1949, based on parts of the
1907 Hague Convention IV)
In addition, there are three additional protocols to the Geneva Convention:
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Protocol I (
1977): Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of
12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts
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Protocol II (
1977): Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of
12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts
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Protocol III (
2005): Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of
12 August 1949, and relating to the Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem
The adoption of the First Convention followed the foundation of the
International Committee of the Red Cross in
1863. The text is given in the
Resolutions of the Geneva International Conference.
All four conventions were last revised and ratified in
1949, based on previous revisions and partly on some of the 1907 Hague Conventions; the whole set is referred to as the "Geneva Conventions of 1949" or simply the "Geneva Conventions". Later conferences have added provisions prohibiting certain methods of warfare and addressing issues of civil wars. Nearly all 200 countries of the world are "signatory" nations, in that they have ratified these conventions.
Clara Barton was instrumental in campaigning for the ratification of the First Geneva Convention by the
United States; the U.S. signed in
1882. By the Fourth Geneva Convention some 47 nations had ratified the agreements.
Other conventions of the
United Nations taking place in Geneva and agreements signed there have become part of international and national laws, but are not to be confused with the above-mentioned treaties though they may be referred to as "Geneva Conventions." These include the
Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, the
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1951) and
Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (1967), and others.
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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies *
Laws of war*
Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907)*
War crime *
Collateral damage *
Atrocity *
Human rights*
Attacks on humanitarian workers*
Geneva Conference*
Reprisals
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Nuremberg Principles*
States party to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949*
ICRC 1949 Comprehensive database on International Humanitarian Law with the full text of all conventions*
Reference Guide to the Geneva Conventionszh-yue:日內ç"¦å…¬ç´„
