Podcasts about icrc

Brad Carson was the Army's General Counsel, served two terms in Congress and was Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. He now heads Americans for Responsible Innovation, the AI-policy advocacy group he co-founded. Keith Duggar spends roughly eighty minutes pushing back.SPONSOR:---Cyber Fund built the Monastery to help founders ship products that were impossible a year ago. Applications for Batch 1 are now open.Apply now: https://cyber.fund---Carson's whole case rests on one line: the genie is not out of the bottle. We have pulled dangerous tech back before. Asilomar halted recombinant DNA in 1975, and the West still controls the chips AI runs on. Calling it unstoppable, he says, is the most dangerous idea in the room.Then Keith drags him somewhere darker. A Palantir heat map scores you 0.73 on whether you are a combatant, and a strike follows. The model is wrong some accepted share of the time, and when it is, nobody answers for it. You cannot court-martial a model, and not even the interpretability researchers can say why it picked you.—Note: after recording, we learned that Americans for Responsible Innovation is backed by EA-aligned philanthropy (not sponsored)---TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 From the Pentagon to AI governance00:04:52 Regulatory capture vs Silicon Valley networks00:07:56 Transparency and the Claude tier changes00:09:40 Tort liability when AI tools cause harm00:13:40 AI is a product, not a person00:16:01 Children, suicide, and the suicide business00:19:59 Opaque neural nets and the law of war00:25:54 Probabilistic targeting and the death of accountability00:28:47 The arms race fallacy: Asilomar and restraint00:34:02 Talking to China: track 2 talks and chip leverage00:39:45 Air power never wins: capital for labour00:43:29 Anthropic vs the Department of War00:51:29 Concentration, open source, and brain drain01:00:18 DeepSeek, Chinese culture, and AI as diplomacy01:12:25 Upskilling Congress and why public trust matters---REFERENCES:organization:[00:02:45] ICRC position on autonomous weaponshttps://www.icrc.org/en/law-and-policy/autonomous-weapons[00:05:22] Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI)https://ari.us[00:07:20] Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)https://a16z.com/[01:16:05] Office of Technology Assessmenthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Technology_Assessmentother:[00:03:35] Beneficial AGI 2019 Conference (Future of Life Institute, Puerto Rico)https://futureoflife.org/event/beneficial-agi-2019/[00:18:30] Section 230 of the Communications Decency Acthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_230[00:19:59] Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWS)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethal_autonomous_weapon[00:31:35] Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Talks[00:32:28] Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA (1975)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asilomar_Conference_on_Recombinant_DNA[00:39:45] The New Iron Triangle (ARI policy byte)https://ari.us/policy-bytes/the-new-iron-triangle/[00:48:05] Defense Production Acthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Production_Actperson:[00:03:35] Anthony Aguirrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Aguirre[00:06:48] Dean Ball — Hyperdimensionalhttps://www.hyperdimensional.co/[00:23:13] Neel Nanda — mechanistic interpretabilityhttps://www.neelnanda.io/[00:36:02] Jack Clark (Anthropic) on Conversations with Tylerhttps://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/jack-clark/[00:39:15] Robert Trager — Centre for the Governance of AIhttps://www.governance.ai/team/robert-trager[00:41:55] Giulio Douhethttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giulio_Douhet[01:15:05] Don Beyer (US Congress)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Beyertool:[00:22:19] Phalanx CIWShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_CIWS---ReScript:https://app.rescript.info/public/share/9405ff35c0215b7cdae6402d41284171https://app.rescript.info/api/public/sessions/0a6c081b8e5fe413/pdf

The brutal effects of war have long prompted efforts to limit suffering and preserve humanity in times of conflict. Across cultures, religions, and legal traditions, people have sought to restrain violence and preserve a measure of humanity in conflict. Yet the emergence of modern humanitarianism in the nineteenth century marked a turning point: compassion became increasingly organized, codified, and institutionalized. Against the backdrop of industrialized warfare, technological change, and growing public awareness of battlefield suffering, new forms of humanitarian action began to take shape. In this post, ICRC experts Anastasia Kushleyko, Cédric Cotter, and Ahmed Al-Dawoody revisit the contributions of Swiss businessman Henry Dunant, Russian philanthropist Anatole Demidoff, and Algerian scholar and leader Emir Abdelkader. Through their efforts to protect prisoners of war, care for the wounded, and uphold humane treatment during conflict, these three figures demonstrated that humanitarian principles were neither confined to one region nor rooted in a single tradition. The authors argue that modern humanitarianism emerged through converging ideas, networks, and practices across different societies, and that revisiting these histories can help reaffirm the universal character of humanitarian principles today.

At today's meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pope Leo, the two discussed their "shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity." Human dignity is often one of the first casualties of war: Iran reports more than three thousand people were killed during the US and Israeli attacks.  Very few reporters or Western officials have been permitted into Iran to see the devastation, making the experience of today's first guest all the more important. Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, recently visited Tehran to meet with government officials.  Also on today's show: Alexander Gabuev, Director, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center; US House Democrat Shomari Figures; actor/musician Rita Wilson    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join us for an urgent and thought-provoking discussion with ICRC Director-General Pierre Krähenbühl on the alarming rise in global conflicts and their profound humanitarian consequences. With over 130 active conflicts worldwide, more than double the number recorded just 15 years ago, war is no longer the exception but an increasingly normalized tool of dispute. From the devastating escalation in the Middle East to the ripple effects on fragile nations like Sudan and Somalia, the impacts of these crises are far-reaching and demand immediate attention. The ICRC Director-General explores the changing nature of warfare, the long-lasting scars it leaves on communities, and the growing challenges faced by humanitarian actors in an era of diminishing resources and heightened risks. Pierre Krähenbühl is Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a position he assumed in April 2024. As head of the ICRC's executive body, he is responsible for steering the organisation's global humanitarian activities. Immediately prior to his current position, Mr Krähenbühl was Secretary-General to the Assembly at the ICRC (2023-2024). Mr Krähenbühl has dedicated more than 30 years to the humanitarian sector, including 25 years in prominent roles at the ICRC in delegations and at headquarters. He also served as Commissioner-General and Under-Secretary General of the United Nations at UNWRA (2014-2019). This lecture is part of the Development Matters series, which is kindly sponsored by Irish Aid. 

Send us Fan MailWe sit down with Jacob Kirchner, senior strategic advisor for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Washington, DC, to unpack what neutral humanitarian work really looks like in modern wars. We connect the ICRC's principles and legal mandate to overlooked crises like Sudan and to the human need for dignity, closure, and peace. • Jacob's path from Rotary World Peace Fellow to the ICRC • What the ICRC does that most people never see, including forensics and support for dignified burials • How the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is structured across national societies, the federation, and the ICRC • Why neutrality, impartiality, and independence shape every decision • How the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law guide the work • Sudan's conflict, mass displacement, and the real meaning of the cost of inaction • Other urgent crises that rarely stay in the headlines • How the ICRC works around sensitive perceptions while staying transparent • Visiting prisoners of war and helping resolve missing-person cases over decades • How helpers keep going, finding purpose and solidarity in difficult work If you have somebody that you think would be an absolute amazing guest, please let me know. Rotarianpod at gmail.com. Of course, tell all your friends and neighbors to get the podcast wherever you get your podcast. Support the showJoin me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE

International humanitarian law (IHL) has long been critiqued for its gendered fault lines, specifically the marginalization of violence and harm to women and girls during armed conflict, laid bare by the lacunae of protection found in the normative content of the Geneva Conventions. The inadequacy of this normative protection finds a parallel in the Pictet Commentary, whose contours reflect patriarchy, entrenched gender stereotypes, and a lack of awareness of, and disregard for, the vulnerabilities, positionalities and participation of women in war. The limitations of the Fourth Geneva Convention (GC IV), in particular, have been substantively explored by feminist scholars over several decades. In this post, part of a joint symposium on the updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention with EJIL:Talk! and Just Security, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin undertakes a close examination of GC IV's Article 27 on the treatment of protected persons, offering an assessment of the extent to which a revised and updated Commentary can overcome the Convention's structural limitations. The answer, she suggests, is mixed. The Commentary is rigorous, expansive and determined, but it remains constrained by the text itself. While progressive interpretative developments help narrow the gap, they cannot fully remedy the gendered DNA of the Conventions as a whole, a challenge that will unfold over decades of sustained work.

What happens when a high-achieving humanitarian leader hits the wall?In this powerful episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, Serena Low sits down with Meggi Rombach—former leader at Procter & Gamble and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)—to explore burnout, identity, boundaries, and what it truly means to find your voiceWith over 20 years of global leadership experience across corporate and humanitarian sectors, Meggi has led complex restructurings, navigated cultural integrations, and managed teams through uncertaintyBut behind the success was chronic stress, burnout, and a health crisis that forced her to pause—and ultimately, to reinvent the way she leads and livesThis conversation is a masterclass in quiet strength, mindful leadership, and courageous boundary-setting.In This Episode, We Explore:The Introverted ExtrovertMeggi describes herself as an extrovert who leans toward observer mode—especially in new environments. Rather than speaking first in meetings, she prefers to listen, connect ideas, and contribute thoughtfullyFor introverts and quiet achievers, this is affirming: meaningful contribution does not require immediate volume. It requires presence and discernment.The Hidden Cost of High PerformanceFrom her early corporate years at Procter & Gamble through her humanitarian leadership at the Red Cross, Meggi experienced multiple restructurings and high-pressure environmentsShe shares openly about burnout—particularly the “frog in boiling water” analogy that describes how chronic stress builds so gradually that we don't notice until we're already overwhelmedHer turning point came after a serious health challenge forced her into deep pause, mindfulness, and reflectionQuiet Burnout & The Guilt of Slowing DownMeggi speaks candidly about the guilt that comes with asking for help or setting boundaries—especially when you identify as a high performer or a people-first leaderShe highlights how easy it is to advocate fiercely for your team—while neglecting to advocate for yourself.When Your Identity Becomes the OrganizationWorking within mission-driven institutions like the ICRC, Meggi observed how deeply employees intertwine their personal identity with the organization's missionWhen layoffs or restructurings occur, untangling that identity can be painful. This episode explores how to reconnect with who you are beyond your job title.Mini Mindfulness for Busy LeadersInstead of hours-long meditation, Meggi advocates for micro-practices:Two minutes of conscious breathingA slow walk around the buildingPracticing non-judgmentEmbracing gratitudeThese small resets helped her regulate chronic stress and step out of emotional reactivityManaging Up with RespectOne of the most practical moments in this episode is Meggi's story of setting boundaries around meeting times.Rather than reacting with frustration, she approached her senior leader calmly and factually—without entitlement—simply raising awareness. The result? A better system for everyoneHer philosophy:“You can raise anything, as long as you do it without a sense of entitlement.”This is gold for quiet achievers who struggle with authority dynamics.From Leadership Insights to Play It By Your RulesMeggi recently rebranded her podcast to Play It By Your Rules—a “mindful rebellion” against inherited scripts and expectationsBut here's the catch: You can only play by your rules once you know what your rules are.That requires self-This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

#93 Za oponou ICRC by Lékařská fakulta MU

I am not sure, but I think that I mention the Laws and Customs of War in about half of my episodes. (Clausewitz, of course features in almost EVERY episode -- except this one.) There is one part of the Law of War that is infrequently discussed. So infrequent that the term International Humanitarian Law (IHL) doesn't even include it. The International Committee of the Red Cross even says that it is of little importance! That nearly forgotten part of the Law of War is the Law of Neutrality. I do not agree with the comment in the ICRC's IHL database tha, “the traditional law of neutrality has lost much of its former importance.” I believe that the armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and those in the middle east reveal problems which result when the law of neutrality is forgotten or abused. I believe these conflicts also represent an opportunity to reassert that branch of the Law of War, but only if States and nations have the courage to do so. As usual, the content of this podcast is entirely my own opinion, and does not represent to position of the U.S. Department of Defense or any other orgaization I am or have previously been associated with   References:   of Defense, DoD Law of War Manual, June 2015, Updated July 2023 ICRC, How does Law Protect in War, p.3 https://www.icrc.org/sites/default/files/document/file_list/icrc-0739-part-i.pdf   International Committee of the Red Cross IHL Databases: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/hague-conv-v-1907   Music: Kiilstofte, P. Freedom Fighters, Machinamasound (Licensed)  

Climate change and armed conflict increasingly intersect in humanitarian settings. While the sector is now alert to climate-related risks – particularly in disaster response, resilience programming, and displacement governance – the ways these risks are interpreted and operationalized vary across institutional mandates and operational contexts. In protection practice within conflict-affected settings, climate impacts are still often framed primarily as “conflict multipliers” rather than direct drivers of civilian harm. This narrow lens risks overlooking the very insecurities communities experience most acutely: displacement, restricted movement, isolation, and livelihood collapse. In this post, researcher and former ICRC delegate Lina Aburas argues that our current conflict-centered analysis has a dangerous blind spot. Drawing on her experience in northeast Nigeria, she explores how communities define their own insecurity amid climate and conflict pressures. Practitioner and community perspectives reveal how climate-related hazards reshape mobility, access to livelihoods and assistance, and exposure to protection risks in ways not fully captured by prevailing conflict-centered analyses. Centering these lived experiences reveals that adapting humanitarian action isn't about mission creep or expanding mandates; it's about fundamentally shifting how we interpret and prioritize the risks already in front of us.

Ƙungiyar agaji ta ICRC ta ce aƙalla yara ƙanana da ke ƙasa da shekaru 5 miliyan 6 da dubu 400 ke fama da tamowa a yankunan arewa maso gabashin Najeriya da ya kwashe shekaru 15 ya na fama da rikice rikicen Boko Haram da arewa maso yamma da ke fama da rikicin ƴan bindiga, sai kuma arewa ta tsakiya da ke fama da rikicin manoma da makiyaya. Mai magana da yawun ƙungiyar Usman Kundili Bukar ya bayyana haka a tattaunarsa da Bashir Ibrahim Idris. Ku latsa alamar sauti don sauraron tattaunawarsu.......

The ICRC continues to witness unacceptable levels of suffering when the law designed to protect families, prevent people from going missing, and ensure the dignified and respectful treatment of the dead is disregarded. At the same time, we have also documented countless, daily efforts by parties to armed conflict to prevent family separation, clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing people, and treat the dead with dignity and respect. This is a humanitarian imperative, a legal obligation that should be a priority of any party to an armed conflict. In this post, ICRC Legal Advisers Tilman Rodenhäuser and Ximena Londoño present key findings of a recent ICRC study, “Non-State Armed Groups and the Separated, Missing and Dead: Obligations Under International Humanitarian Law and Examples of How to Implement Them”. Drawing on the doctrine and practice of 64 non-state armed groups (NSAGs) across the world, the study offers unique insights into practical measures that NSAGs can take to implement IHL and protect missing people and their families. This post provides a snapshot of the study's main findings and operational relevance.

The updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention (GC IV) includes a number of important updates to its treatment of Common Article 3 (CA3). These relate primarily to three areas: the treatment of coalitions in non-international armed conflict (NIAC); the provision of support by one party to another; and questions of gender and the treatment of other marginalized groups. In this post – part of a joint blog symposium on the updated GC IV Commentary with EJIL: Talk! and Just Security – Associate Professor Katharine Fortin examines these developments, highlighting their significance and strengths while also pointing to areas that may warrant further reflection or study.

Following five years of research and consultations, the ICRC published a new, updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention (GC IV) of 1949 in October 2025. GC IV is the cornerstone of protection for civilians in international armed conflict and occupation – protections that remain urgently relevant amid patterns of urban warfare, strikes on essential services, and persistent harm to people who are not, or are no longer, taking part in hostilities. The 2025 Commentary, following the interpretive methodology outlined in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, consolidates seven decades of practice, jurisprudence, and operational experience into a practical guide to applying GC IV's safeguards effectively today. Over the coming weeks, we are delighted to co-host a joint symposium with the editors of Just Security and EJIL:Talk!, sharing expert contributions on selected topics addressed in the updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention. We hope this analysis will help shed light on important aspects of the Fourth Convention that are explored in depth in the updated Commentary, outline developments in law, technology and language since 1949, and give readers an idea of what has changed since the initial ICRC Commentary on this Convention was published in 1958. As Jean-Marie Henckaerts highlights below, a good faith interpretation and application of the Fourth Convention is indispensable: “it keeps interpretation anchored in the Conventions' object and purpose, ensuring that their protective spirit prevails over technical evasions.” His following post, initially published on 21 October 2025, serves as an introduction both to the updated Commentary and to this symposium.

In this episode of the PFC Podcast, Rick Kelly, a retired 18 Delta Special Forces medic, shares insights into the unique challenges faced by Special Forces medics in austere environments. He discusses the critical role these medics play in providing life-saving surgical procedures in areas lacking medical infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of understanding their training and operational constraints. Kelly highlights the evolution of medical practices within Special Forces, particularly the adoption of methods from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to improve patient outcomes in combat situations.Kelly elaborates on the specific surgical techniques taught to Special Forces medics, including wound excision, closure, and amputation, all tailored to the limited resources available in the field. He contrasts these practices with conventional medical approaches, underscoring the necessity for adaptability and efficiency in high-pressure environments. The episode concludes with a call for healthcare providers to better understand the realities of austere medicine, enabling them to support Special Forces medics more effectively.Understanding austere medicine is crucial for effective healthcare delivery.The ICRC's methods have significantly influenced Special Forces medical training.Infection rates can be drastically reduced with proper wound management.Chapters05:30 Adopting ICRC Methods10:39 Challenges in Austere Environments16:46 Conclusion and Key TakeawaysFor more content go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.prolongedfieldcare.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Consider supporting us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ProlongedFieldCareCollective⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.lobocoffeeco.com/product-page/prolonged-field-care

Many women and children are exposed to violence, exploitation and other risks, including death and family separation, during their migration journeys. Despite the recognition that gender and age shape migration experiences, there is limited data and analysis that systematically and directly addresses how and why migrant women and children go missing or become separated. To reduce this knowledge gap and identify steps to mitigate risks for women and children, the ICRC's Central Tracing Agency and the Red Cross Red Crescent Global Migration Lab undertook research across the Americas, Africa, and Europe.[1] In collaboration with 17 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,[2] we spoke to over 800 migrant women and children, families of missing migrants, and key informants to hear their stories, concerns, and proposed solutions. In this post, we present key insights from the recently published research reports that draw on migrants' lived experience to identify drivers of deaths and separations, obstacles to maintaining contact and searching for their missing loved ones, and strategies to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of migrant women and children.

As cyber operations are increasingly taking place during armed conflicts, and this trend is likely to continue, certain specific protections afforded under IHL and identified in the physical world by the distinctive emblems of the Red Cross, Red Crescent, and Red Crystal must also be visible in an environment the drafters of the very first Geneva Convention in 1864 could never have imagined. In this post, Samit D'Cunha, Legal Adviser at the ICRC, and Mauro Vignati, Technical Adviser at the ICRC, examine the rationale behind the Digital Emblem Project and the significant progress made in recent months. Drawing on ongoing standardization efforts and a growing list of supporters of the project, this post explores how a simple, globally recognizable marker is being developed to help distinguish specifically protected medical and humanitarian assets online.

In EVN Report's news roundup for the week of December 26: the Armenian government is prepared to fund the rehabilitation of several strategic railway segments, currently under Russian management, should the Russian side fail to fulfill its obligations; ICRC visits all Armenians currently held in Azerbaijan; the World Bank approves a $250 million grant for immediate housing assistance to Artsakh Armenians.

The ICRC's 2005 study on customary international humanitarian law – along with the free, public database launched five years later – arrived at a moment when the legal landscape of armed conflict was rapidly shifting. Mandated by the 26th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the study set out to map the customary rules governing contemporary warfare by systematically analyzing global state practice and opinio juris. Twenty years on, with more than 130 armed conflicts active worldwide, reassessing the study's methodological contributions, its evidence base, and its impact on the regulation of both international and non-international armed conflicts offers a timely lens on how customary IHL continues to underpin protections for people affected by war. In this post, ICRC Legal Adviser Claudia Maritano and members of the British Red Cross-ICRC customary IHL research team reflect on how the study's rigorous methodology, global scope, and identification of 161 customary rules helped clarify gaps left by treaties, especially in non-international armed conflicts, and strengthen the practical application of IHL.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. This week, we're joined by Julien Lerisson, the head of delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Israel and Occupied Territories. Berman reviews the organization's troubling history of failures regarding Jews, specifically during the Holocaust, but also moving forward in its rejection of Israel's national Magen David Adom chapter until two decades ago. We learn about the ICRC's work in Gaza during the hostage releases and Lerisson shares the humanitarian group's frustrations with its inability to access those held by Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. Lerisson tells us about the group's core principle of neutrality and how a mission to serve humanity is at the center of its work in war-torn and disaster-prone regions. Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Julien Lerisson (courtesy)/ A Red Cross vehicle carrying the remains of a deceased hostage handed over by Hamas militants heads toward the border crossing with Israel for transfer to Israeli authorities, in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, December 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In his first interview since his release, former hostage Alon Ohel called the International Committee of the Red Cross a “disgraceful organization.” His anger reflects a general bitterness among Israelis who believe ICRC failed to ensure the Israeli hostages’ received humanitarian treatment in captivity and their silence in the face of Hamas’ refusal to grant them access. On the Haaretz Podcast, the head of ICRC’s Israel sub-delegation, Yuval Arie Nevo, admitted in an interview that the hostility on the part of the Israeli public was “totally understandable” given the group’s persistent but ultimately “unsuccessful” efforts to gain access to the hostages to assess their condition and offer medical and humanitarian assistance. While acknowledging the failures, “we are very proud of our work,” said Nevo, referring to the implementation of the transfer of the hostages from Hamas to Israel under the cease-fire agreement in October, coordinated with the release and exchange of Palestinian prisoners – and ICRC’s role in returning the remains of slain hostages as well. The “reputation crisis” the ICRC is suffering in Israel, he said, is due in large part to the constraints of the organization’s commitment to “impartiality” and the use of “bilateral confidential dialogue,” or refraining from taking sides in public statements. Without such a policy, he argued, ICRC would not be able to effectively conduct humanitarian operations and return prisoners and hostages anywhere in the world. Still, “I know it is a source of great frustration in the Israeli public,” he said. “Neutrality is not a sexy choice to make.” Read more: Sexual Assault, Starvation, Stitches Without Anesthesia: Alon Ohel Details Hamas Captivity Opinion | For the Hostages in Gaza, the Red Cross Is Neutral. But We Are Not Bystanders Far-right MKs Cite Classified Report on Red Cross Visits to Israeli Prisons, Refuse to Share It With Arab Lawmaker Israeli Defense Ministry Renews Its Ban on Red Cross Visits to Palestinian Security Prisoners Before High Court Israel Allows Hamas to Join Red Cross in IDF-held Gaza Areas to Recover Hostage BodiesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 200 million people live today in contested territories – places where the authority of the state is challenged outright and armed groups exercise full or fluid control. This number has risen by 30 million since 2021. These are not distant statistics; each figure represents a person living in the shadow of competing powers, making difficult choices in an almost impossible environment. How do people navigate the presence of multiple, often competing, armed actors? Is dignity found in defiance, or safety in uneasy compliance? How do families secure food, water or medical care when neither the state nor armed groups are able or willing to provide basic services? And, crucially, what can humanitarian actors do to better protect and assist those caught in these fractured landscapes? In this post, and drawing on recently published research in Cameroon, Iraq and the Philippines, Arjun Claire, Senior Policy Adviser at the ICRC, and Matthew Bamber-Zryd, the ICRC's Adviser on Armed Groups, offer five insights to help strengthen humanitarian responses in contested territories – insights rooted in the lived realities of the people who navigate them every day.

Thom Geiser is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran who now serves as an Armed Services Advisor for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Drawing on decades of experience—including flying C-130s, working in special operations, and serving in international advisory roles—he helps connect military practitioners with humanitarian law and principles. In his role at the ICRC, he engages with armed forces around the world to promote the protection of civilians, improve understanding of the laws of armed conflict, and support the integration of humanitarian considerations into military planning and operations. Thank you to our sponsor NFCU, and a Happy Veterans Day to All!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As artificial intelligence (AI) begins to shape decisions about who is detained in armed conflict and how detention facilities are managed, questions once reserved for science fiction are now urgent matters of law and ethics. The drive to harness data and optimize efficiency risks displacing human judgment from one of the most sensitive areas of warfare: deprivation of liberty. In doing so, AI could strip detainees of what remains of their humanity, reducing them to data points and undermining the core humanitarian guarantees that the Geneva Conventions were designed to protect. In this post, Terry Hackett, ICRC's Head of the Persons Deprived of Liberty Unit, and Alexis Comninos, ICRC's Thematic Legal Adviser, explore how the use of AI in detention operations intersects with international humanitarian law (IHL), and why humane treatment must remain a human-centered endeavor. Drawing on the ICRC's recent recommendations to the UN Secretary-General, they argue that while IHL does not oppose innovation, it sets the moral and legal boundaries that ensure technological progress does not come at the cost of human dignity.

When people go missing in war, their absence lingers far beyond the battlefield – splintering families, deepening social divides, and haunting political transitions. Yet amid this grief, the families of the missing often become unlikely peacebuilders: their search for truth draws them across old front lines, transforming pain into connection and personal loss into a collective force for reconciliation. In this post, Jill Stockwell, Simon Robins, and Martina Zaccaro explore how families of the missing – through shared advocacy and dialogue – can reshape divided societies. Drawing on ICRC research from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, and Nepal, they show how families who once faced each other as enemies now work side by side, using their moral authority and lived experience to foster empathy, resist manipulation, and model the very reconciliation peace processes often fail to achieve.

When wars end, peace rarely begins overnight. It's built, slowly and painstakingly, through acts that restore a sense of humanity where it was once suspended. Among these, how a society treats people it detains may seem peripheral, yet it can determine whether trust survives long enough for peace to take root. Humane detention, often overshadowed by more visible aspects of conflict recovery, is in fact one of the earliest and most concrete tests of readiness for peace. Each act of respect for law and dignity – registering a detainee, allowing a family visit, providing medical care, or releasing a prisoner when the reason for detention has ceased – helps reduce the harm that fuels revenge and instead preserves the fragile threads of trust that can bind divided societies. In this post, Terry Hackett, ICRC's Head of the Persons Deprived of Liberty Unit, and Audrey Purcell-O'Dwyer, ICRC's Legal Adviser with the Global Initiative on IHL, show how compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL) in detention – while not a direct path to peace – can serve as a legal and moral bridge towards it, one rooted in dignity, accountability, and the quiet rebuilding of trust. By limiting suffering and safeguarding dignity, it helps prevent conflicts from eroding the institutions and confidence that societies need to recover.

Picture a potential future armed conflict: missiles and drones crowding the skies, uncrewed vehicles rolling across borders, and governments scrambling to coordinate their defences. Their conclusion: Every citizen is needed. Some collect and relay information about the approaching enemy into an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that supports military decision-making. Reservists join the ranks of the armed forces. Computer experts choose to contribute by conducting cyber operations aimed at disrupting military operations, sowing chaos among the civilian population, and harming the enemy's economy. As the militaries on both sides rely heavily on digital communication, connectivity, and AI, the armed forces call on tech companies to provide cybersecurity services, computing power and digital communication networks. In this post, Tilman Rodenhäuser, Samit D'Cunha, and Laurent Gisel from the ICRC, Anna Rosalie Greipl from the Academy, and Professor Marco Roscini from the University of Westminster (and former Swiss IHL Chair at the Geneva Academy) present five key risks for civilians, along with the obligations of both civilians and states, related to the involvement of civilians in information and communication technology (ICT) activities in armed conflict.

In line with its mandate, the ICRC engages with all parties to an armed conflict, including non-state armed groups. The ICRC has a long history of confidential humanitarian engagement with armed groups to alleviate and prevent the suffering of persons living in areas controlled by these groups. However, this engagement has become increasingly complex. Accordingly, the ICRC undertakes an annual internal exercise to evaluate the status of its relationships with armed groups and to identify developments to strengthen its future engagement worldwide. In this post, ICRC Adviser Matthew Bamber-Zryd discusses key findings from the 2025 exercise. The ICRC estimates that 204 million people live in areas controlled or contested by armed groups. In 2025, there were more than 380 armed groups of humanitarian concern. A key development in 2025 is the ICRC's deepened engagement with non-state armed groups that are parties to armed conflict and bound by international humanitarian law (IHL), achieving significantly higher contact rates with these groups than with other armed actors. Yet engagement remains constrained by three major obstacles: deteriorating security conditions, operational constraints including limited resources and competing priorities, and state-imposed barriers, notably counter-terrorism legislation.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. Proclaimed in Vienna in 1965, they were born not as abstract ideals but as the direct result of over a hundred years of humanitarian action. They have enabled aid to cross frontlines, families to be reunited, and hope to reach places of despair. Yet today, the world in which they must operate is under extraordinary strain: conflicts drag on for years, humanitarian workers face record levels of attack, climate shocks compound existing crises, digitalization reshapes the battlefield, and politicization erodes the fragile space where help can reach those who need it most. The human consequences of war remain devastatingly constant, and the Principles- that have guided the Movement since 1965 are under growing pressure. In this post, ICRC's Director General Pierre Krähenbühl reflects on the enduring relevance and importance of the Fundamental Principles in a rapidly shifting world. He argues that they are not self-sustaining ideals to be admired from afar, but living commitments that must be exercised and defended. Drawing on his three decades of humanitarian work, he makes the case that the Principles resist the dangerous normalization of war, safeguard access to people in need, and fuel the courage necessary to channel indignation into lifesaving action. At sixty, the Principles will only remain vital if we choose to live them, and in so doing, keep humanity alive in the darkest of times.

Following five years of research and consultations, the ICRC has published a new, updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention (GC IV) of 1949. GC IV is the cornerstone of protection for civilians in international armed conflict and occupation – protections that remain urgently relevant amid patterns of urban warfare, strikes on essential services, and persistent harm to people who are not, or are no longer, taking part in hostilities. The 2025 Commentary consolidates seven decades of practice, jurisprudence, and operational experience into a practical guide to applying GC IV's safeguards effectively today. In this post, Jean-Marie Henckaerts, the head of the ICRC project to update the Commentaries on the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977, situates the updated Commentary in contemporary conflict realities and explains why GC IV's protective purpose must steer its interpretation. He argues that good faith interpretation – required by the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties – means reading GC IV in a way that realizes its humanitarian object and purpose, not hollowing it out through technical argumentation that defeats protection in practice.

Episode #409: His military experience enabled a rapport with Myanmar's armed actors, says Rory McCann, who recently served almost two years as the country Weapons Contamination Specialist for the ICRC. A challenge at the beginning of the job was to build trust with different conflict parties, in part to convince them that the ICRC was teaching weapons safety regarding landmines and other explosive ordnance, not weapons handling. As a 25-year veteran of the Irish Army, McCann was deployed in Chad, Syria and Uganda, with his training in the ordnance corps preparing him for humanitarian mine action. His ICRC role included interaction with the Myanmar Armed Forces and other armed groups. “When you're talking about humanitarian mine action, it has to be much more systematic and you're looking at the international mine action standards,” McCann says. International standards, which are not adhered to in Myanmar, set guidelines across “five pillars": clearance, risk education, victim assistance, stockpile destruction, and advocacy. McCann says his role was educating armed actors about obligations to protect civilians and landmine use under customary IHL. Myanmar is not a signatory to the CCW or the Mine Ban Treaty. Conflict actors are still legally bound by customary IHL that prohibits indiscriminate use of landmines. “Landmine fields are designed to be an obstacle … What we were seeing in Myanmar … they're simply being used in a sporadic and maybe punitive manner.” Known as “nuisance mining,” this fails to meet military objectives and poses indiscriminate threat to civilians. At present, only risk education, victim assistance, and advocacy are underway. Since 2015, the ICRC and MRCS have conducted over 1,800 sessions reaching 69,000 people in 2024. More than 4,800 people with disabilities were supported through physical rehabilitation services. National ownership is an ICRC goal, though McCann admits conflict makes realization unlikely, focusing instead on risk mitigation and advocacy.

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to innovators, researchers and practitioners on the humanitarian front lines, delivering real-time news on how they are building, testing and collaborating on uses of artificial intelligence. In this episode, Philippe Stoll, Senior "Techplomacy" Delegate with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), joins Humanitarian AI Today host Brent Phillips to discuss the complex issues that digital technologies create for humanitarian organizations and for people affected by conflict from an IT perspective. They discuss the growing pressure on organizations to experiment with AI, highlighting the significant backend IT effort required to safely deploy and maintain these systems. This deployment introduces new operational and security risks, demanding a highly cautious and ethical "do-no-harm" approach to protect vulnerable populations. Stoll also explains how the ICRC collaborates with academia to help evaluate new applications and find solutions to complex problems. Philippe closes with a call for greater cross-disciplinary collaboration, urging experts from humanitarian, academic, and technology sectors to engage with one another to better understand each other's perspectives. Notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.substack.com/p/philippe-stoll-on-ai-techplomacy

The number of conflicts continues to rise – with the ICRC currently classifying some 130 armed conflicts worldwide – while at the same time, they are rarely brought to an end. The human suffering they cause is devastating and hard to comprehend. But wars are not inevitable – and the best way to end the suffering they cause is to end conflicts or prevent them from breaking out in the first place. In the absence of effective efforts to find sustainable political solutions, humanitarian organizations like the ICRC are often left to manage the suffering caused by these conflicts, which affect civilians most of all. Political will to reinvest in international cooperation, conflict prevention, and resolution is urgently needed. While humanitarian action cannot substitute for political action, humanitarian actors can contribute to the prospects for peace. In this post, ICRC Policy Advisers Ariana Lopes Morey and Avigail Shai outline key reflections on the ICRC's direct and indirect contributions to an environment conducive to peace. Drawing on case studies and other research, they identify three primary areas of the ICRC's humanitarian action – its work with communities, in dialogue with parties to conflict and other influential actors, and in building respect for human dignity through laws, norms and institutions – which can strengthen prospects for peace. While focused on the ICRC's own work, many of these reflections can apply more broadly to other organizations who strive to address the humanitarian impacts of conflict on people.

Send us a textThis week, in the final episode of our Summer Profiles series on the Inside Geneva podcast, host Imogen Foulkes talks to Irish physiotherapist Rieke Hayes, who now works in Gaza for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).“I think I went into physio with the classic idea – I'd have a little clinic, do outpatients, you know, back pain, neck pain. Turns out I really, really didn't enjoy that setting at all once I was in it,” says Hayes.Her first posting was unexpected.“I got this email: would you be willing to go to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in two weeks' time? I didn't know what DPRK was, so, yes, North Korea, and I went, of course, yes.” Now, she works in Gaza, treating patients with spinal injuries. “It's very complicated for someone with a spinal injury to get off the ground and to mobilise with a walking frame – if they had one. But you don't have a walking frame, you don't have a wheelchair and you don't have a raised bed. You're in a tent and you might be sharing it with 20 relatives.” Can her patients recover, given the situation in Gaza?“Many patients leave our hospital and I say: we did a good job, we've done the best we can. I don't know if they're still alive or if they're still walking, but we do what we can. But yes, they're very dependent on friends and family – if they have any left, of course.” Join host Imogen Foulkes on our Inside Geneva podcast for the full interview.Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/Host: Imogen FoulkesProduction assitant: Claire-Marie GermainDistribution: Sara PasinoMarketing: Xin Zhang

Groong Week in Review - August 3, 2025In Episode 457 of the Groong Podcast, we examine growing regional and domestic pressures on Armenia. From a U.S.-backed proposal to lease the Zangezur Corridor to Trump's August 8 ultimatum for Russia to cease its war in Ukraine, the episode explores how shifting global power dynamics could impact Armenia's sovereignty and economy. We also look at Azerbaijan's expulsion of the ICRC and worsening conditions for Armenian POWs, the growing list of political prisoners in Armenia, and the suspicious conviction related to the death of Sona Mnatsakanyan. With mounting restrictions on Armenian exports to Russia and fires consuming cultural sites in Artsakh, the conversation considers whether Armenia's leadership is responding effectively to the country's mounting internal and external challenges.Topics:  Trump Ultimatum to Putin  US Sanctions effect on Armenia  Turkey, US, and Armenia's Territory  The Kitchen SinkGuest: Benyamin PoghosyanHosts:Hovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 457 | Recorded: August 4, 2025SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/457VIDEO: https://youtu.be/CehSMWvolf4Subscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

In EVN Report's news roundup for the week of August 1: The Prime Minister's speaker clarifies Armenia's position on the Syunik route; Armenia to temporarily host Palestine's endangered cultural heritage at the Matenadaran; ICRC's final visit to Armenian detainees in Baku as office faces forced closure by Azerbaijan and more.

On this episode of the Humanitarian AI Today podcast, Blaise Robert, Global AI Advisor for the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), joins producer Brent Phillips to discuss his takeaways from the AI for Good Summit, specifically the need for more meaningful collaboration around artificial intelligence. Blaise observes that organizations are still duplicating their efforts to a large degree and could move faster by better sharing their lessons learned. He explores what it would take to elevate collaboration to the next level and truly integrate it into daily work. Tune in to hear his call to action for the humanitarian community: to be open about what works, what doesn't, and the hurdles along the way, so that successes can be shared by all. The conversation also touches on several other critical areas. Blaise details the ICRC's practical AI projects and how the ICRC is acting on its "responsibility to be more collaborative" by publicly publishing its AI policy and technology strategy as a step toward greater transparency. This approach is vital for turning the vast knowledge accumulated across the sector into actionable intelligence, ensuring that lessons learned from one project can inform the design of the next. He addresses the serious concerns around "digital harm," the ethics of data used to train AI models, and the use of AI in warfare, including autonomous weapons and military decision support. Finally, he discusses the careful balance the ICRC must strike in its relationships with major tech companies to maintain its core principles of independence and neutrality. Blaise and Brent also discuss emerging AI-powered search tools like Perplexity's new browser, Comet, and the use of large language models to make internal knowledge more accessible. While Roberts acknowledges the "large potential" for such tools in transforming tasks like project evaluation, he also stresses that they must be framed within strong policy and governance frameworks to ensure proper human oversight and responsible use. Episode notes and transcript: https://medium.com/humanitarian-ai-today/beyond-the-summit-a-push-for-real-ai-collaboration-from-blaise-robert-362ff41bb9d3

ဇူလိုင်လ ၈ ရက်၊ တနင်္လာ ညချမ်း ဘီဘီစီမြန်မာပိုင်း ရေဒီယို အစီအစဉ် - အမျိုးသားညီညွတ်ရေးအစိုးရ NUG အနေနဲ့ သူ့လက်အောက်မှာရှိနေတဲ့ တိုက်ခိုက်ရေး အင်အားစုတွေကို စနစ်တကျ စုစည်းနိုင်ခြင်းမရှိသလို သယံဇာတစီမံခန့်ခွဲမှု၊ ရန်ပုံငွေစီးဆင်းမှုအပါအဝင် ပသုံးလုံးယန္တရားကို ထိန်းချုပ်နိုင်တာမျိုး အားနည်းနေတယ်လို့ စစ်အာဏာသိမ်းမှု ဆန့်ကျင်သူ ဒေါက်တာတေဇာစန်းထောက်ပြ၊ NUG ကို ပြင်ဆင်ပြောင်းလဲဖို့နဲ့ စစ်ရေးအရ ခုထက် ပိုစုစည်းနိုင်ဖို့က လက်တွေ့ကျကျ လုပ်နိုင်သလား ဘီဘီစီမြန်မာပိုင်း အထူးသတင်းလွှာ - NUG ပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲမှုတွေ တကယ်တမ်း လုပ်ဆောင်နေကြလား၊ NUG ထက် အားကောင်းတဲ့ စုဖွဲ့မှု ပေါ်ပေါက်လာဖို့ လက်တွေ့ ဖြစ်နိုင်လား၊ NUG ယန္တရား ပ သုံးလုံးနဲ့ ပတ်သက်တဲ့ ပြောင်းလဲမှုတွေရာ မြင်လာရနိုင်လား …. စတာတွေ အကြောင်း လွှတ်တော်ကိုယ်စားပြု ကော်မတီ CRPH အဖွဲ့ဝင် ကိုစည်သူမောင်ရဲ့ ဖြေကြားချက် - မြန်မာနိုင်ငံကနေ အမေရိကန် ကို တင်ပို့မယ့် ကုန်စည်တွေ အားလုံးအတွက် အခွန် ၄၀ ရာခိုင်နှုန်း ကောက်ခံမယ်လို့ အမေရိကန်သမ္မတ ဒေါ်နယ်ထရမ့်က မြန်မာစစ်ခေါင်းဆောင်ထံ စာပေးပို့၊ သြဂုတ်လ တစ်ရက်နေ့မှာ ဒီအခွန်ကောက်ခံမှု စတင် အသက်ဝင်တော့မှာ ဖြစ်ပြီး အမေရိကန်ရဲ့ အခွန်တိုးမြှင့် ကောက်ခံမှုက မြန်မာနိုင်ငံကို ဘယ်လို သက်ရောက်မှု ရှိနိုင်သလဲ၊ ဘီဘီစီသတင်းထောက်ရဲ့ သတင်းပေးပို့မှု - စစ်ကောင်စီနဲ့ ကိုးကန့်တပ် MNDAA တို့ လားရှိုးမြို့မှာ ပြီးခဲ့တဲ့ ရက်ပိုင်းက တွေ့ဆုံ ဆွေးနွေးခဲ့စဉ် အတွင်း သိန္နီမြို့ကို ပြန်ပေးဖို့ စစ်ကောင်စီက တောင်းဆိုခဲ့ပေမဲ့ ပြေလည်မှု မရခဲ့၊ အဲ့ဒီနောက်မှာတော့ နှစ်ဘက်စလုံး လားရှိုးမှာ စစ်အင်အား ဖြည့်တင်းမှုတွေ ရှိနေတဲ့ လက်ရှိ လားရှိုးက အခြေအနေတွေ အကြောင်း ဘီဘီစီ သတင်းလွှာ - နိုင်ငံတကာ သတင်းတွေမှာတော့ …. ဂါဇာမှာ စားနပ်ရိက္ခာ ဖြန့်ဖြူးတဲ့ နေရာတွေနဲ့ ဆက်နွှယ်နေတဲ့ လူသေဆုံး ဒဏ်ရာရမှုတွေ တဟုန်ထိုး တိုးလာနေတယ်လို့ ICRC နိုင်ငံတကာ ကြက်ခြေနီအဖွဲ့ ပြော၊ အစ္စရေး ကြီးကြပ်လုပ်ဆောင်နေတဲ့ GHF ဂါဇာလူ့အခွင့်အရေး ဖောင်ဒေးရှင်းအဖွဲ့က စားနပ်ရိက္ခာ ဖြန့်ဖြူးမှုတွေ စလုပ်ခဲ့တဲ့ မေလ ၂၇ ရက်နေ့က စလို့ လူအစုလိုက်အပြုံလိုက် ထိခိုက်သေဆုံးမှုတွေ တိုးလာနေတာကြောင့် ဂါဇာမှာ ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ဆောင်မှုစနစ် မနိုင်မနင်းဖြစ်နေပြီး ပြိုပျက်သွားခဲ့ရတယ်လို့ ICRC ဆို - ရင်ခွင်ပိုက် ကလေးငယ်တွေနဲ့ လူမမယ် ကလေးငယ်တွေအတွက် သင့်တော်မယ့် ငှက်ဖျားဆေးကို ကမ္ဘာပေါ်မှာ စတင် အသုံးပြုခွင့် ပေး၊ နိုဗာတစ် ကုမ္ပဏီ ထုတ်ဆေးသစ်ကို ဆွစ် အာဏာပိုင်တွေ ခွင့်ပြုပေးတာ ဖြစ်၊ ဘီဘီစီရဲ့ ရေဒီယိုအစီအစဉ်တွေကို အင်တာနက်ဝက်ဘ်ဆိုက်နဲ့ ပေါ့ဒ်ကတ်စ်တွေကနေလည်း နားဆင် နိုင်ပါတယ်။ ----- ဘီဘီစီရဲ့ ရေဒီယိုအစီအစဉ်တွေကို အင်တာနက်ဝက်ဘ်ဆိုက်နဲ့ ပေါ့ဒ်ကတ်စ်တွေကနေလည်း နားဆင် နိုင်ပါတယ်။ ညပိုင်းအစီအစဉ် ပေါ့ဒ်ကတ်စ် နားဆင်ရန် https://bbc.in/36H8bsY ညပိုင်း ထုတ်လွှင့်မှု နားဆင်ရန် https://bbc.in/2TSNLYZ အသံလွှင့်နေစဉ် တိုက်ရိုက်နားဆင်ရန် - https://bbc.in/36EzLXM #ဘီဘီစီမြန်မာပိုင်း #ရေဒီယို

Fabrizio Carboni, head of the ICRC delegation to the US and Canada, speaks to his vast experience in the wars of the past two decades, including the profound impact of 9/11 (2001) in integrating humanitarian action into battlefield strategies—including the targeting of humanitarian operations. Today, almost 25 years later, we are witnessing unrestrained violence, limitless war, and flagrant disregard for International Humanitarian Law. The emotional, psychological dimensions are poorly understood. Political leadership is essential whenever soldiers are asked to respect IHL. The most dangerous moment is when states argue that they are fighting a "survival war" that they believe is exceptional. Does the Trump administration honor IHL or seek a "realist" American First alternative? It is too early to reach a conclusion: "There is no rupture." It is also too early to know how deep cuts in US foreign assistance will impact ICRC and the broader global response to humanitarian crises. ICRC does remain a "soft target," increasingly exposed. It is striking how a single actor—the United States—can be so "steep" in changing its course. It shifts the ground towards deeper burden-sharing and inspires a debate on what the new architecture will be, with far less money. ICRC has just recently repatriated the remains of 6,000 persons killed in the Russian war against Ukraine. In Gaza there is no way for ICRC to avoid getting hit from all directions. 2,200 Gazans were recently shot or hit with shrapnel while approaching the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation food distributions. "Those numbers are unacceptable." 

What International Humanitarian Law (IHL) - the laws of war - say about hospitals, with Cordula Droege of the ICRC. Do like, subscribe and leave us a review. Want to find out more? Check out all the background information on our website including hundreds more podcasts on international justice covering all the angles: https://www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/ Or you can sign up to our newsletter: https://www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/newsletters/ Did you like what you heard? Tip us here: https://www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/support-us/ Or want to support us long term? Check out our Patreon, where - for the price of a cup of coffee every month - you also become part of our War Criminals Bookclub and can make recommendations on what we should review next, here: https://www.patreon.com/c/AsymmetricalHaircuts Asymmetrical Haircuts is created, produced and presented by Janet Anderson and Stephanie van den Berg, together with a small team of producers, assistant producers, researchers and interns. Check out the team here: https://www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/what-about-asymmetrical-haircuts/

What International Humanitarian Law (IHL) - the laws of war - say about hospitals, with Cordula Droege of the ICRC. Do like, subscribe and leave us a review. Want to find out more? Check out all the background information on our website including hundreds more podcasts on international justice covering all the angles: https://www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/ Or you can sign up to our newsletter: https://www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/newsletters/ Did you like what you heard? Tip us here: https://www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/support-us/ Or want to support us long term? Check out our Patreon, where - for the price of a cup of coffee every month - you also become part of our War Criminals Bookclub and can make recommendations on what we should review next, here: https://www.patreon.com/c/AsymmetricalHaircuts Asymmetrical Haircuts is created, produced and presented by Janet Anderson and Stephanie van den Berg, together with a small team of producers, assistant producers, researchers and interns. Check out the team here: https://www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/what-about-asymmetrical-haircuts/

The head of the International Red Cross has told the BBC that what's happening in Gaza has crossed any acceptable legal or moral standard.Mirjana Spoljarić said that the situation "should shock our collective conscience". Her comments come after dozens of Palestinians were killed near new aid distribution centres. A prominent US-Israeli businessman with long experience of humanitarian missions tells us what's gone wrong with the roll-out of aid by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.Also in the programme: Six months after a botched military coup, South Korea has a new president; and we'll hear howpoverty is driving men from Lesotho to the illegal mines of neioghbouring South Africa.(Photo shows people carrying aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip on 3 June 2025. Credit: Reuters TV)

Ukraine claims to have left more than 40 Russian bomber planes burning in a large-scale drone attack. Also: the ICRC in Gaza says it's treated dozens of casualties after a reported attack near an aid distribution centre.

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I speak with Samit D'Cunha, a legal advisor at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), about the innovative Digital Emblem Project. For over 160 years, the Red Cross emblem has symbolized protection in conflict zones, designating medical and humanitarian organizations as safe from attack. Now, as warfare increasingly extends into cyberspace, the ICRC is developing a digital version of this emblem to provide the same legal protections for online infrastructure. We examine the increasing frequency of cyberattacks on hospitals and aid organizations during armed conflict, and why the Digital Emblem is more crucial now than ever. Samit explains the technical side of the project, including the use of cryptographic certificates and DNS systems to ensure global, decentralized protection. He also discusses the importance of legal recognition and trust-building across governments, tech companies, and humanitarian sectors. As the digital battleground expands, this emblem could play a crucial role in safeguarding lives and ensuring that humanitarian operations continue uninterrupted. We also explore the challenges of implementing this system without increasing organizations' vulnerability, and why support from over 100 tech companies and states is crucial for its success. If you're interested in the intersection of cybersecurity, law, and humanitarian efforts, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

The ethos of 'move fast and break things' doesn't work for humanitarians. If we break things, we break people. But technology is changing the nature of conflict. International Humanitarian Law cannot evolve to meet these challenges without input from the private tech actors shaping the battlefield. This week's guest, Philippe Stoll, Senior Techplomacy Delegate at the ICRC, works to connect humanitarians to tech entrepreneurs and other relevant minds over the dilemmas presented by new technologies in conflict.From biometric systems to the ethical risks of data misuse, Philippe shares how the ICRC is developing cautious, problem-driven tech policies aimed at protecting vulnerable populations. He also discusses his obsession with giving concrete meaning to abstract ideas and how immersive “Digital Dilemmas” installations can help tech developers and humanitarians understand each other's worlds. Questions about how to handle tech in conflict zones aren't going anywhere. For anyone interested in the future of humanitarianism, this conversation is essential.

//The Wire//2300Z January 31, 2025////ROUTINE////BLUF: RECOVERY EFFORTS CONTINUE AT CRASH SITE IN WASHINGTON, FALSE INFORMATION SURROUNDING THE INCIDENT BECOMES MORE PERVASIVE. AMERICAN TRADE TARIFFS ON CHINA, MEXICO, AND CANADA ANNOUNCED.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Sweden: Wednesday night, local counter-Islam activist Salwan Momika was murdered in Stockholm. Five assailants were arrested after one shot him in his apartment that evening. AC: Momika was a highly controversial figure who gained notoriety for being the pro-Israel activist at the heart of the Koran burnings in Sweden in 2023, and for his legal activism with regards to Islam in Sweden. Of note, local media did not know of his murder until the next morning, as he was scheduled to appear in court for one of the many cases he was the defendant in. When he did not show up, the court noted that the defendant was deceased, leading to the media inquiry. No further details have been provided regarding the details of this murder.Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): The conflict has continued to escalate, both domestically and internationally. The Rwandan-backed M23 rebels are in complete control of Goma, which has led to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to voice concerns regarding their medical facilities in the city. Specifically, the ICRC facility in Goma was partnered with the local medical institute that served as the leading authority for Ebola research throughout the region. The ICRC is concerned that the instability throughout the region could result in a lab leak.-HomeFront-Washington D.C. - Recovery operations continue in the Potomac, with more wreckage and remains being recovered overnight. The remains of 41x people have been recovered so far, with 28x being identified as of this afternoon.Throughout the continent, American trade policy is taking form, with the White House announcing the implementation of a 25% tariff on most Canadian and Mexican trade imported into the United States. A separate 10% tariff on trade with China has also been announced as being in the works. AC: As of right now, these trade polices are not in place, however press statements this afternoon have suggested that at least some of the tariffs will be implemented tomorrow. However, the documentation pertaining to these policies has not been published, so the exact impact of these trade policies (and also the impact of negotiations) is unknown at this time.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: On the information front, the false information circulating on social media surrounding the aircraft collision in Washington D.C. has become staggering. Overnight, seemingly out of nowhere, many well-known engagement farming accounts on Twitter/X made posts claiming that the pilot of the crashed Blackhawk was a transgender individual. By morning, all big accounts had deleted their posts citing this news story.The source of this claim can be traced back to a handful of single accounts (all of which bear many markers of deception) who made these claims without a single shred of evidence. For one, the female pilot of the Blackhawk has not yet been identified by authorities. The transgender person claimed to have been the pilot during this incident did not match the unit either; he was from a completely different unit and service branch altogether (National Guard vs. the Active Duty pilots involved in the crash). Perhaps the most damning bit of evidence to prove that this story is false is that the transgender pilot is still alive, and he is making the rounds on the media circuit, having been granted a platform to speak by this story surging through social media.Though largely speculative, this could have been the general plan for the scam, which is in line with fairly typical con jobs within the realm of information exchange.1 - Rand

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Eugenia Lostri, Senior Editor at Lawfare, sat down with Jonathan Horowitz, Deputy Head of the Legal Department to the ICRC's Delegation for the United States and Canada, to discuss his recent article, “The Business of Battle: The Role of Private Tech in Conflict.” They talked about how international humanitarian law principles can affect the private digital sector, the risks that tech companies can face when they provide services to a party in an armed conflict, and what they should do to minimize those risks. To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/c/trumptrials.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ukraine says three employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross have been killed by Russian shelling in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. The ICRC did not identify who was behind the attack, but Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called it "another Russian war crime".Also in the programme: Mexican politicians have approved a controversial move to appoint judges by popular election, we speak to a member of Mexico's ruling party; and the American who claimed a new world record as the fastest woman to cycle around the globe. (Photo: A burning truck of the International Committee of the Red Cross after shelling in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. Credit: NATIONAL POLICE OF UKRAINE HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Who are the key players in Sudan's new civil war, and what's the "best" way this can play out? ICRC's Dr. Gasim Mohammed takes us behind the scenes!Welcome to another one of our "Out of the Loop" episodes, where we dig a little deeper into fascinating current events that may only register as a blip on the media's news cycle and have conversations with the people who find themselves immersed in them. On This Episode of Out of the Loop: Sudan is currently in a civil war between two factions of the military: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SAF is led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led the military coup in 2021 that ousted the civilian government. The RSF is led by General Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur. This latest civil war in a nation accustomed to conflict has triggered a humanitarian crisis, leading to the displacement of millions who urgently require food and medical assistance. As a fledgling democracy rich in resources but economically struggling, Sudan is a test case for whether democracy can take root in the Arab world. While the current civil war undermines this case, what's the best way this can play out for the people of Sudan — and the world? What can we do to help? And much more! Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on an Out of the Loop episode, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know! Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/905 This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!