This event explores how legal protections developed to protect civilians in 1949 continue to evolve and adapt to the realities of 21st-century warfare.

In 2011, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and a team of renowned international experts embarked on a major project: updating the Commentaries on the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1977 Additional Protocols. Since the ICRC published the original Commentaries in the 1950s and 1980s, respectively, the Geneva Conventions and Protocols have been put to the test, and there have been significant developments in how they are applied and interpreted in practice. The updated Commentaries seek to document these developments in the application and interpretations of these treaties and to serve as a tool for practitioners, by providing them with an understanding of the law as it is currently interpreted so that it can be applied effectively in today’s armed conflicts.  

The updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention was published online in October 2025. This event marks the launch of this Commentary in The Hague and the Netherlands.

Speakers: 
• Dr. Jean-Marie Henckaerts: Head of the project to update the ICRC’s Commentaries on the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols. 
• Prof. Marten Zwanenburg: Professor of Military Law, Netherlands Defence Academy and the University of Amsterdam; Peer Reviewer of the updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention. 
• Dr. Katharine Fortin: Associate Professor of Human Rights Law and Public International Law, Utrecht University. 
• Prof. Machiko Kanetake: Academic director, T.M.C. Asser Instituut; Professor of Public International Law, University of Amsterdam.