Nepal and International Humanitarian Law

The government should identify legal and operational gaps and address them on time.

The codification of modern International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also known as the law of armed conflict or law of war, began in 1864 with the adoption of the first Geneva Convention in Geneva, Switzerland. Later, various states adopted the four Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, to address limitations and gaps witnessed in the conduct of hostilities in twin world wars. The four Geneva Conventions offer protection to wounded and sick soldiers on land and at sea, prisoners of war and civilians. The 1949 Geneva Conventions were later complemented by adopting the two Additional Protocols in 1977 that covered both international and non-international armed conflict. The Protocols govern the means and methods of warfare.