Australia's implementation of International Humanitarian Law
International Humanitarian Law
International humanitarian law (IHL) governs the conduct of armed conflict and the protection of people not involved or no longer involved in a conflict.
The following conventions form the cornerstone of IHL:
- 4 Geneva Conventions of 1949 (Geneva Conventions), which every State in the world has ratified
- 3 Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions (Additional Protocols).
Australia was an early signatory to the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols and is deeply committed to implementing and upholding its IHL obligations. This includes an obligation to disseminate and promote the principles of the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.
Australia’s Voluntary Report on Implementation of International Humanitarian Law at the Domestic Level
This report fulfils a voluntary pledge made by Australia to report on the domestic implementation of IHL, made at the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, in connection with a Resolution entitled ‘Bringing IHL home: A road map for better national implementation of international humanitarian law’.
This report provides an overview of Australia’s implementation of IHL at the domestic level. It is not intended to be exhaustive. Rather, it outlines key features of Australia’s IHL implementation and provides relevant examples of Australian practice.
We aim for the report to be a valuable resource for anyone seeking an understanding of the key features of Australia’s IHL implementation, including:
- other States
- IHL experts and academics
- government officials
- non-governmental organisations
- journalists
- members of the public.