Rebuilding respect for the Laws of War

Contributing to the Global Initiative on IHL

The Geneva Conventions of 1949 represent a universal acknowledgement that even wars have rules. By signing the Geneva Conventions, every single country in the world accepted binding obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL) which seek to limit the effects of armed conflict and protect those who are not, or are no longer, taking part in the fight.

Yet despite this universal support, respect for IHL is falling appallingly short in today’s conflicts. Every day, civilians and humanitarian workers face the devastating consequences of violations of IHL. These realities highlight a difficult truth: while the rules exist, ensuring they are followed is an enormous challenge.

In recognition of this challenge, the Global Initiative to Galvanise Political Commitment to IHL (Global Initiative) was launched in late 2024 by the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, together with Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa.

The aim is clear and urgent: States must come together to address what President Spoljaric has described as a ‘weakening’ in commitment to IHL.

“Their protective power must be upheld. The lives of millions of people, and the very core of our shared humanity, depend on States faithfully upholding IHL.”

To date, more than 100 States have formally joined the Global Initiative, and have engaged in global and regional consultations on how to address today’s most pressing challenges to IHL, and how to ultimately improve respect for these fundamental rules.

A key starting point to this work is recognising that strengthening respect for IHL begins long before violations occur. For this reason, one of the main areas of focus (or ‘workstreams’) of the Global Initiative is prevention.

States widely acknowledge that effective dissemination and promotion of IHL at the domestic level are essential foundations for preventing IHL violations. National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, including Australian Red Cross, play a special role in this area. Through training, awareness-raising, and engagement with various sectors of society, National Societies help promote understanding of and respect for IHL within their countries.

To inform the prevention-focused workstream of the Global Initiative, Australian Red Cross has been working closely with colleagues from Costa Rican Red Cross, Italian Red Cross, Qatar Red Crescent, and Senegalese Red Cross to bring National Society experience and expertise into the Global Initiative process.

This collaboration led to five online consultations in February 2026, bringing together 45 National Societies from across regions, languages and time zones. The result was a consolidated report capturing their recommendations on how States can better harness the value that National Societies bring in IHL training and dissemination.

The report puts forward six practical recommendations for how States can better harness the value that National Societies bring in IHL training and dissemination.

First, States are encouraged to create the right legal and institutional environment for National Societies to operate. This includes recognising their special ‘auxiliary’ role to public authorities in the humanitarian field. With this recognition in place, National Societies are better positioned to work alongside governments, both to share knowledge of IHL and to support efforts to promote respect for it.

States are encouraged to formalise cooperation between National IHL Committees, relevant ministries and National Societies. This can take different forms, such as setting up technical working groups, appointing clear focal points, or involving National Societies directly in National IHL committees as members or observers.

In addition, National Societies should be included in discussions on IHL and related areas of international law, as well as how these are implemented in practice. This can happen through National IHL Committees or through international fora, including the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Where appropriate, States may also draw on National Society expertise in the development of national implementing measures and voluntary IHL reporting.

States are also encouraged to ensure that their humanitarian diplomacy is informed by IHL and, where appropriate, include IHL themes. National Societies can play an important supporting role in helping to inform government positions and providing training and dissemination for those involved in humanitarian diplomacy.

National Societies are central to making IHL part of everyday understanding. They help ensure that IHL is not seen as an abstract set of rules, but as a meaningful framework that connects with national humanitarian culture and narrative. States can support this work by backing National Society-led training and outreach across a wide range of audiences, including professional groups, civil society, and the general public. Engaging young people and supporting locally led initiatives that link IHL to cultural and ethical norms are highlighted as possible priority areas.

Finally, the recommendations point to the need for better understanding of impact. This includes helping National Societies assess the impact of their IHL training and dissemination activities, for example by providing access to relevant data and beneficiaries. At the same time, this support should recognise that meaningful evaluation requires time, expertise and resources.

These recommendations were presented to States on 6 May 2026 during the fourth round of State Consultations in the Global Initiative process. They are intended to inform the broader set of recommendations that will be developed in the lead-up to the Conference on Humanity in War later this year.

The full report of the National Society consultation on the Prevention Workstream.