On 28 November 2003, the States Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) adopted a new protocol on explosive remnants of war. This new instrument of international humanitarian law, the fifth protocol to the CCW, is an important addition to the efforts to reduce the death, injury and suffering caused by the explosive munitions that remain after the end of an armed conflict. Protocol V establishes new rules that require the parties to a conflict to clear explosive remnants of war, to take measures to protect civilians from the effects of these weapons and to assist the efforts of international and non-governmental organizations working in these areas. If widely adhered to and fully implemented, it has the potential to significantly reduce the civilian casualties that regularly occur after the end of hostilities and to minimize the long-term socio-economic consequences that explosive remnants of war inflict on war-affected countries. It complements the work of the international community to reduce the suffering caused by anti-personnel landmines.

Humanitarian organizations are in a privileged position to observe what happens in war. Perhaps with the exception of war correspondents — “embedded” or otherwise — no other individuals from outside the conflict area get to see what goes on in its midst. Medical humanitarian organizations will often be exposed through their work to the detail of violence committed against civilians; but all humanitarian organizations operational in conflict are likely to witness the brutal effects of the fighting.

On 13 March 2004, the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) rendered an important decision on the validity of amnesties under international law. The Appeals Chamber of the SCSL ruled that amnesties granted to persons of the warring factions in the Sierra Leone civil war by the so-called Lomé Peace Agreement are no bar to prosecution before it. This decision is the first ruling of an international criminal tribunal unequivocally stating that amnesties do not bar the prosecution of international crimes before international or foreign courts. The following article will briefly discuss this significant and controversial decision for the development of international humanitarian law and will then examine the most important and critical findings of the ruling, after first giving a brief summary of the legal background to the SCSL, the Lomé Peace Agreement and the Appeals Chamber decision (Lome Decision) itself.

Le CICR s'interroge depuis longtemps sur le comportement des combattants en temps de guerre, en particulier sur les paramètres qui interviennent dans le respect ou la violation des normes élémentaires du droit des conflits armés. La violence inhérente à la guerre induit-elle nécessairement une montée aux extrêmes? La guerre est-elle par définition criminogène? Est-elle inéluctablement accompagnée d'un cortège d'atrocités ?

Cambodia's unequalled cultural heritage — and in particular Angkor — was not spared the sufferings that country endured from 1970 onwards. Cambodia went through 30 years of conflict, with the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979) marking the peak of cruelty and ideological barbarity. These years have left a permanent scar on the country and its memory. Monuments and archaeological sites in particular suffered the consequences of abandonment, vandalism, looting and lack of maintenance, together with the effects of military use. However, despite the traces of vandalism that bear witness to the sites' having been subjected to military occupation, the temples suffered less during the fighting than had been feared. The application of certain of the provisions contained in the Hague Convention for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict of 14 May 1954 played a crucial role in protecting Cambodian heritage. The Convention constitutes one of the most important tools for the protection of cultural property under international humanitarian law. It clearly helped to protect cultural property by providing the Cambodian authorities with a legal basis and, above all, by legitimizing the action they undertook in this area.

L'étude Origines du comportement dans la guerre a pour objectif de contribuer à améliorer les politiques et les stratégies de communication du Comité International de la Croix-Rouge (CICR), dans le but de prévenir efficacement les violations du droit international humanitaire (DIH). Cet objectif s'articule autour d'une double interrogation:

a) Quels sont les facteurs qui influencent de manière décisive le comportement des combattants en situation de respecter ou de violer le DIH ?

b) Y a-t-il adéquation entre les stratégies de prévention développées par le CICR et les réponses apportées à la question ci-dessus ?

Ce témoignage est celui de Philippe Gaillard, chef de délégation du Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) au Rwanda en 1993 et 1994 Il reflète le discours qu'il a prononcé à l'occasion d'une conférence organisée par le Musée international de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge à Genève, sous le titre «Rwanda 1994: la vraie vie est absente (Arthur Rimbaud)».

Après quelques années de travaux, l'Institut de droit international (IDI) a adopté une résolution intitulée «L'assistance humanitaire». Les travaux préparatories avaient été menés avec application et énergie par le rapporteur B. Vukas, de Croatie, après que M. Carrillo Salcedo eut renoncé à son mandat pour des raisons de santé. L'IDI est, de longue date, une institution scientifique du droit international de renom. Son objectif est de promouvoir le développement du droit international et d'agir pour qu'il soit appliqué. Il a été fondé en 1873, à l'Hôtel de Ville de Gand, en Belgique. L'Institut se réunit en principe tous les deux ans. Dans l'intervalle des sessions, des commissions scientifiques étudient des thèmes qui sont choisis par l'Assemblée plénière. Celle-ci reçoit les travaux des commissions et elle adopte des résolutions de caractère normatif sur la base de ces travaux préparatoires, quand cela lui paraît opportun. Ces résolutions sont portées à l'attention des autorités gouvernementales, des organisations internationales et de la communauté scientifique. Elles jouissent d'un poids certain au regard de la renommée et du sérieux de l'Institut.

The English-language version of François Bugnion's remarkable book could not appear at a more opportune time. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been under increased media scrutiny since the unauthorized publication in early May 2004 of its report on the treatment by Coalition forces of prisoners of war and other protected persons in Iraq. In some countries, the credibility or effectiveness of the ICRC's long-established confidential approach has been questioned.

The Roots of Behaviour in War study sought to contribute to improvements in the communication policies and strategies of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) so as to make them more effective in preventing violations of international humanitarian law (IHL). The study addressed two main questions:

a) What are the key factors which influence the behaviour of bearers of weapons so that they respect or violate IHL in any given situation?

b) Do prevention strategies drawn up by the ICRC take due account of the answers given to the foregoing question?

In 2001 restoration of the ICRC's film archives covering the period 1920–1957 was completed. Nearly a hundred exceptional documents on the organization's activities were saved and made accessible to the public

This article relates the circumstances surrounding the ICRC's first steps in cinematography in the early 1920s. This innovative and promising medium was turned to good account to make known the ICRC's new assistance activities at the end of the First World War

Following the first conference on “Transatlantic Relations and the Challenges of Globalization” on 24–25 October 2003 in Schengen, the Luxembourg Group held a second conference on “Humanitarian Assistance in Armed Conflict” on 24–25 May 2004 in Geneva. Both conferences are part of a series of conferences on “International Cooperation and Conflict in the Post-September 11 World”. Within the framework of this project, a third conference will be organized on “Transatlantic Relations: How Do We Make the UN and Multilateralism Effective?” on 13–14 September 2004 in Washington D.C.