21 October 2024
Our spot report, ‘Food Insecurity in Armed Conflict and the Use of Siege-like Tactics’ addresses the urgent issue of food insecurity caused by siege tactics in conflict zones and explores how international humanitarian law can mitigate these impacts.
Armed conflicts are a major driver of food insecurity, with a significant portion of acutely food-insecure individuals residing in areas affected by violence. The report reveals how certain tactics, such as restricting access to essential resources, deepen civilian suffering and can even lead to famine or starvation.
The report’s key findings include:
Paola Gaeta, Director of the Geneva Academy and Professor of International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute, emphasizes the urgency of the findings: ‘While siege-like tactics are not outright prohibited, Parties to conflict must respect IHL obligations. However, recent cases illustrate the severe consequences on civilians when these tactics are employed. This report highlights the importance of respecting IHL to protect civilians and secure access to essential resources.’
This publication is part of the ‘IHL in Focus’ project, which aims provide states, international organizations, civil society and academics with tools of IHL analysis that are independent, impartial and pursued in accordance with the highest academic standards to support advocacy and humanitarian diplomacy, with the ultimate goal of contributing towards increased respect for IHL.
Geneva Academy
Mô Bleeker, UNSG Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, shares how her work as Senior Fellow at the Geneva Academy contributes to our shared goals.
Geneva Academy
Our latest spot report explores how the targeting of water infrastructure is contributing to what is now considered the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, affecting 30 million people.
ICRC
As a yearly publication, it keeps decision-makers, practitioners and scholars up-to-date with the latest trends and challenges in IHL implementation in over 100 armed conflicts worldwide – both international and non-international.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin
The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.