The Law of The Hague and the Law of Geneva

Traditionally, the law of armed conflict is divided into two branches: the Law of Geneva and the Law of the Hague (Figure 4).

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Figure 4 The two legal arms of IHL

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Figure 4 is a diagram showing the distinction between the two branches of IHL: the Law of the Hague and the Law of Geneva. The Law of the Hague description reads: ‘Contains the rights and obligations of belligerents during the conduct of military operations (The Hague conventions 1899 and 1907)’. The Law of Geneva description reads: ‘Designed to protect those, who are no longer involved in fighting but also those, who do not take part in hostilities (civilians) (Geneva Conventions 1-4 1949 and Additional Protocols I and II’.

Figure 4 The two legal arms of IHL

In this course, we will focus on the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the three Additional Protocols of the Geneva Conventions (AP I and II 1977, AP III 2005), which create the core of the legal framework of protection for victims of armed conflict. Aim to familiarise yourself with the relevant provisions of the Geneva Conventions related to the various issues discussed in this section.