The 1949 Geneva Conventions and Nepal

International humanitarian law has a bearing on Nepal’s stalled transitional justice process.

The Geneva Conventions are turning 73 on August 12. The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are key instruments of international humanitarian law (IHL) which regulate the conduct of armed conflict and seek to mitigate suffering. IHL protects people not taking part in hostilities and those who are no longer taking part. It includes those rules of international law which establish the minimum standards of humanity that must be respected in any situation of armed conflict—be it international or non-international. The Geneva Conventions have been ratified by all states and are universally applicable. Nepal acceded to the conventions on February 7, 1964 paving the way for the creation of the Red Cross in Nepal. The First Geneva Convention protects wounded and sick soldiers on land during war. The Second Geneva Convention protects wounded, sick and shipwrecked military personnel at sea during war. The Third Geneva Convention applies to prisoners of war. The Fourth Geneva Convention protects civilians, including those in occupied territories.