Geneva Conventions

The Geneva Conventions are a set of international treaties negotiated in Geneva that established humanitarian standards by which signatory countries establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment during armed conflicts.

The Geneva Conventions are based on the concept of individual dignity and respect. Persons not directly involved in hostilities and persons who are out of action due to illness, injury, detention, or any other reason must be respected and protected against the effects of war. Those who suffer must be helped and cared for without distinction. Additional protocols provide such protection to all those who are affected by armed conflict. Furthermore, they determine that the parties in conflict and individual fighters must not attack the civilian population or civilian facilities and must conduct their military operations according to recognized rules of international humanitarian law rights.