Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949
and relating to the protection of victims of armed conflicts
A/RES/73/204
partners such as national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, to facilitate the
sharing of concrete experience and the exchange of views on their roles and on the
challenges they face,
Stressing the possibility of making use of the International Humanitarian Fact Finding Commission in relation to an armed conflict, pursuant to article 90 of
Protocol I 4 to the Geneva Conventions,
Stressing also the possibility for the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding
Commission to facilitate, through its good offices, the restoration of an attitude of
respect for the Geneva Conventions and Protocol I,
Taking note of the fact that the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding
Commission conducted its first operational mission in 2017,
Taking note also of the fact that, in paragraphs 8 and 9 of its resolution
1894 (2009) of 11 November 2009 on the protection of civilians in armed conflict,
the Security Council noted the range of existing methods used, on a case -by-case
basis, for gathering information on alleged violations of applicable internationa l law
relating to the protection of civilians, underlined the importance in that regard of
receiving information that is timely, objective, accurate and reliable, and considered
the possibility, to that end, of using the International Humanitarian Fact -Finding
Commission established by article 90 of Protocol I,
Noting with appreciation the role of the International Committee of the Red
Cross in facilitating and offering protection to the victims of armed conflicts,
Noting with appreciation also the continuing efforts of the International
Committee of the Red Cross to promote and disseminate knowledge of international
humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocols,
Noting the special responsibilities of national Red Cross and Red Crescent
societies, as auxiliaries to the public authorities of their respective States in the
humanitarian field, to cooperate with and assist their Governments in the promotion,
dissemination and implementation of international humanitarian la w,
Welcoming the universal acceptance of the Geneva Conventions of 1949,
Emphasizing the fundamentally non-discriminatory character of international
humanitarian law, including as reflected in the preamble to the 1977 Additional
Protocol I to the 1949 Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, relating to the
Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, which, inter alia, reaffirms
that the provisions of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and of Additional
Protocol I must be fully applied in all circumstances to all persons who are protected
by those instruments, without any adverse distinction based on the origin of the armed
conflict or on the causes espoused by or attributed to the parties to the conflict,
Recalling the imperative need to improve compliance with international
humanitarian law, recognized by all States at the thirty-second International
Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, held in Geneva from 8 to
10 December 2015,
Welcoming the continued engagement of States in the intergovernmental
process, and recalling its State-driven and consensus-based character, aimed at
finding ways to enhance the implementation of international humanitarian law,
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Ibid., vol. 1125, No. 17512.
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