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"History" [2019] ELECD 596; in Sassoli, Marco (ed), "International Humanitarian Law" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019) 5

Book Title: International Humanitarian Law

Editor(s): Sassòli, Marco

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Section: Chapter 2

Section Title: History

Number of pages: 10

Abstract/Description:

The idea that wars are subject to rules and limitations has existed for millennia, as it is inherent in the very concept of war. Throughout history, all civilizations and religions have established some rules that today would be qualified as IHL. Even before modern IHL was codified in multilateral treaties, belligerents frequently concluded bilateral agreements or issued unilateral instructions in this field. Following the initiative of Henry Dunant and later the ICRC in the nineteenth century, the first multilateral treaties were adopted in this field. Subsequently, such treaties were periodically extended and adapted to new problems arising in armed conflicts. Today, this branch of public international law is largely codified in the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 as well as in the related Additional Protocols of 1977. While all States are parties to the Conventions, a number of important States have yet to accept the Protocols.