Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), denounced a dangerous lack of respect for international humanitarian law and urged States to give it “political priority”.
In an interview given to the Swiss daily Timeshe recalls that “humanitarian law does not prevent wars, but regulates the way in which they are conducted so that it is possible afterwards to negotiate and build peace”.
However, she said, international humanitarian law “is systematically trampled underfoot by those who carry out military operations”.
“The current situation is extremely dangerous,” she said.
The traumas created by ongoing conflicts risk haunting us for decades […] In my opinion, it is essential to act now.
Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross
“We are facing very high intensity conflicts in an extremely polarized context. The neutrality of the ICRC is under great pressure,” she adds, citing the conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.
PHOTO BRENDAN MCDERMID, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on leadership for peace, September 25, 2024.
“Very few organizations can take on the independent and neutral role that we play, whether it is evacuations of people in Sudan, releases of hostages in Gaza or visits to detainees under the 3e and 4e Geneva Conventions,” recalls Mme Spoljaric.
However, she notes, “our access to populations is increasingly hampered and exploited.”
The Red Cross is the guarantor of the Geneva Conventions which were adopted in 1949 after the Second World War.
Driven by values that transcend beliefs and borders, these texts codify international humanitarian law in order to protect civilians and limit the impact of an armed conflict.
On Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross launched an initiative with six countries — Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa.
The idea is not to reinvent the Geneva Conventions, which remain solid legal texts, but to urge States to apply them.
Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross
According to her, “this is all the more important as future military actions will rely heavily on new technologies and artificial intelligence and conflict prevention will be even more crucial”.
She explains that “the six States of the platform are committed to strengthening the implementation and universal, uniform and rigorous application of international humanitarian law”.
“We are not launching a process of negotiating new agreements,” she continues. But working groups will be set up with experts from around the world, with a view to producing recommendations in 2026 that States could adopt.
“In summary, States must make the implementation of international humanitarian law a political priority,” she concludes.