ICRC Says Respecting War Rules Is First Step to Peace
Addressing a panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Türkiye, Jurg Lauber laid out a clear-eyed case for why the rules governing warfare must be treated as a political priority, not an afterthought.
"Even war has rules," he said, cautioning that a growing culture of disregard for those rules is making conflicts harder to resolve.
"How wars are fought influences how and when they can be ended," Lauber added, framing humanitarian law not as an abstract legal obligation but as a practical instrument for de-escalation, ceasefire negotiations, and ultimately peace agreements.
He argued that adherence to such frameworks preserves "a minimum of shared humanity" — a foundation without which meaningful dialogue between warring parties becomes nearly impossible.
Lauber pointed to a concrete multilateral push to reverse this trend, noting that the ICRC launched a landmark initiative in September 2024 alongside Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and South Africa to elevate international humanitarian law as a front-line political priority. To date, 106 states have signed onto the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitment to International Humanitarian Law.
The ICRC vice president also highlighted the unique position humanitarian organizations occupy in fragmented conflicts — often commanding access and trust that political actors are unable to secure.
"The first steps towards peace are often humanitarian," he said.
Lauber cited the ICRC's hands-on role in brokering the return of hostages, detainees, and remains between Hamas and Israel, as well as facilitating prisoner exchanges tied to the Russia-Ukraine war, as evidence of that operational reach.
He closed with a pointed appeal to mediators tempted to sideline humanitarian principles in pursuit of fast-tracked political wins.
"Please don't neglect humanitarian law and humanitarian principles in order to attain some short, sweet success, which then probably most likely will not be sustainable," he urged.
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