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Overview of the 1949 Geneva Conventions

The Geneva Conventions consist of four treaties established in 1949 that set the standards for international law for humanitarian treatment of non-combatants. The First Geneva Convention protects wounded and sick soldiers. The Second protects wounded, sick and shipwrecked military personnel at sea. The Third applies to prisoners of war. The Fourth protects civilians, including those in occupied territory. The Geneva Conventions have been universally ratified and apply in all armed conflicts.

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Viloria, Christine Micah
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196 views2 pages

Overview of the 1949 Geneva Conventions

The Geneva Conventions consist of four treaties established in 1949 that set the standards for international law for humanitarian treatment of non-combatants. The First Geneva Convention protects wounded and sick soldiers. The Second protects wounded, sick and shipwrecked military personnel at sea. The Third applies to prisoners of war. The Fourth protects civilians, including those in occupied territory. The Geneva Conventions have been universally ratified and apply in all armed conflicts.

Uploaded by

Viloria, Christine Micah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Geneva Convention I-IV (1949)

The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are international treaties
that contain the most important rules limiting the barbarity of war. They protect
people who do not take part in the fighting (civilians, medics, aid workers) and
those who can no longer fight (wounded, sick and shipwrecked troops, prisoners
of war).
The 1949 Geneva Conventions
 The First Geneva Convention protects wounded and sick soldiers on land
during war.
This is the fourth updated version of the Geneva Convention on the Rights of the
Wounded and Sick, following those adopted in 1864, 1906, and 1929. These
protect the injured and sick, as well as medical and religious personnel, medical
units, and medical transports.
 The Second Geneva Convention protects wounded, sick and shipwrecked
military personnel at sea during war.
This Convention replaced Hague Convention of 1907 for the Adaptation to
Maritime Warfare of the Principles of the Geneva Convention.
 The Third Geneva Convention applies to prisoners of war.
The categories of persons entitled to prisoner of war status were broadened in
accordance with Conventions I and II. The Convention establishes the principle
that prisoners of war shall be released and repatriated without delay after the
cessation of active hostilities.
 The Fourth Geneva Convention protects civilians, including those in occupied
territory.
- The events of World War II showed the disastrous consequences of the absence
of a convention for the protection of civilians in wartime.
- The Convention adopted in 1949 takes account of the experiences of World War
II.
- It contains a short section concerning the general protection of populations
against certain consequences of war, without addressing the conduct of
hostilities, as such, which was later examined in the Additional Protocols of 1977.
- The bulk of the Convention deals with the status and treatment of protected
persons, distinguishing between the situation of foreigners on the territory of one
of the parties to the conflict and that of civilians in occupied territory.
Where do the Geneva Conventions apply?
 The Geneva Conventions have been ratified by all States and are universally
applicable.
The Geneva Conventions – one of humanity's most important accomplishments
of the last century - are turning 70 on 12 August 2019. It's a moment to celebrate
all the lives the conventions have helped save, note the further work that needs
to be done and to remind the world of the importance of protecting people from
the worst of warfare.

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