At the origins of the Geneva Conventions, and often referred to as the guardian of international humanitarian law, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is in the process of updating its commentaries on the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols. In 2020, the ICRC published its latest Commentary on the Third Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War – a treatise of particular relevance today in light of the ongoing international armed conflict in Ukraine. The Panel will discuss issues of treaty interpretation and its evolution over time, with a focus on the methodology the ICRC employed in updating the Commentary. It will also contemplate substantive issues related to the Convention, including material conditions of detention, gender-mainstreaming through the updated Commentary, the approach taken with regard to the protection of persons with distinct needs and facing distinct risks (such as persons with disabilities). The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A session followed be a drinks reception.

This event is organised by the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Chair:

Dr Miles Jackson (University of Oxford)

Panel:

Yvette Issar (ICRC, Geneva)

Professor Dapo Akande (University of Oxford)

Dr Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne (University of Bristol)

Andrea Raab (ICRC, London)