New York : Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), underlined that the international community must confront the reality that the rules of war are being violated as armed conflicts increase in number and intensity.
In a statement ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, she emphasised that international humanitarian law can only provide genuine protection in accordance with the strength of the political will shown by leaders to ensure its implementation.
She said: “All states are obliged, under the Geneva Conventions, to respect international humanitarian law and to ensure that other states do likewise. The time has come to defend this law, and if states do not revive respect for the rules of war, the world will face the danger of an escalation of violence that cannot be contained.”
She added: “Last September, the ICRC, together with Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa, launched a global initiative to renew political will in favour of international humanitarian law, and I am encouraged that 89 states have joined this effort since then.”
