The operational and humanitarian consequences of disregard for the rules of war are both devastating and accelerating

Excellencies, colleagues,

Respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians are under unprecedented strain.

Last month, the President of the ICRC told the Security Council: “Wars fought without rules transform wars between combatants into wars against civilians.” This is not an abstraction. It is a daily reality we witness in our operations. The operational and humanitarian consequences of disregard for the rules of war are both devastating and accelerating.

Three dimensions exemplify this: 

When IHL is disregarded, civilians bear unacceptable consequences.

We see rising civilian casualties, attacks on healthcare, the weaponization of food and water, and the destruction of essential services. Civilian harm is not only the immediate consequences of individual attacks; it is also the cumulative impact of such attacks on essential infrastructure which aggregate overtime and create systemic crises. 

When water and health systems collapse, when energy grids fail, when connectivity is disrupted or shut down, populations of entire cities can be pushed to the limits of survival. People are not only killed by weapons – they are killed by the dismantling of essential service systems that sustain their lives.

This dangerous slide is propelled by an insidious normalization of violence and dehumanizing narratives. Wars fought without limits, narratives that portray the enemy as sub-human or seek to justify deliberate destruction, threaten the moral foundations of our humanity.

When IHL is disregarded, humanitarian space collapses.

Humanitarian organizations face growing access restrictions, insecurity, disinformation campaigns, and bureaucratic impediments. Neutral, impartial, independent humanitarian action is being obstructed – and the consequences are deadly.

The conditions for some humanitarian colleagues have become excruciating, including colleagues threatened, detained or held hostage. Thirty-one Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers were killed in 2025; and in April of this year the UN reported that in the last three years 1010 humanitarian personnel were killed while performing life-saving work. 

Attacks on humanitarian personnel call into question the protections that IHL was designed to provide – to humanitarian personnel, and to the civilian population. Some attacks spark public outrage. Others pass unnoticed. But every attack represents a failure of humanity.

These patterns are amplified and accelerated by technology.

For all its benefits, technology is also reshaping the battlefield with important policy and legal implications.

To cite just three examples: 

The prolonged presence of drones over homes, schools, farms, and hospitals creates constant fear and restricts people’s movement – even during pauses in hostilities. Drone countermeasures and failed or fallen drones also increase the risks for civilians – including long-term risks generated by the presence of explosive remnants of war. 

Cyber operations – whether deliberately or by mistake – may have dramatic effects on civilian. As malware can spread instantly around the globe, it has the potential to affect critical civilian infrastructure and essential services such as health and water systems, and to impede logistics systems, including those of vital humanitarian operations.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning for decision-making enable widespread collection and analysis of data sources. They may identify people or objects, assess patterns of life or behaviour, make recommendations for military strategy or operations, or make predictions about future actions or situations. They accelerate decision‑making, sometimes reducing the time available to meaningfully verify targets or assess proportionality. Distance between human operators and the impacts of their decisions grows both physically and conceptually. 

To translate commitments to practice, technological evolution must be matched by concrete safeguards that preserve human judgment, human control, and human dignity.

Against this backdrop, and the unbearable realities described by my fellow panelists, I offer one avenue: 

The Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitment to IHL was launched in 2024 by Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa. Less than two years later, 113 States have officially joined, and more than 160 States have taken part in consultations to develop practical recommendations – concrete measures to strengthen the protection of civilians and preserve the protective purpose of IHL. 

The ICRC encourages all States to join the Initiative and to contribute actively to its outcomes, including participating at the highest possible level in the Humanity in War Conference, to be held in Jordan on 7 December. 

Excellencies, 

I conclude with one ask: 

The consequences of disregarding IHL are devastating, for its victims and for our humanity. 

The ICRC will continue to combine prevention efforts, protection action and assistance close to affected people, bilateral dialogue, and diplomacy. But our action cannot counter the depth of the devastation we see. 

Today we urge all States to act to uphold humanity in war.

Thank you.