All of the world's 194 countries have now ratified the four Geneva Conventions since Nauru signed up on June 27 and Montenegro on August 2, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced Monday in Geneva. The 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005 constitute the fundamental law protecting victims of armed conflict and governing the conduct of hostilities in wartime. The conventions regulate the treatment of casualties, prisoners of war and civilians during times of war. They also ban the use of weapons or methods of warfare which cause unnecessary suffering. No other international agreement has found such widespread acceptance, said the ICRC. "At a time when armed conflicts continue to take their toll on human lives and on material means of survival, it is important to reaffirm the contribution of international humanitarian law to the protection of human dignity and the preservation of humanity in the midst of war," Jean-Philippe Lavoyer, head of the ICRC's legal division, said. The ICRC reminded all warring states of their duty to respect international law.
