States Publish Guidance to Strengthen Humanitarian Law
New practical measures aim to protect civilians in the more than 130 armed conflicts where suffering continues.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Military
States have published practical guidance to strengthen respect for international humanitarian law, with 27 states from five continents leading the discussions. The guidance was released ahead of the Global IHL Dialogue in Geneva this week.
Why it matters
Civilians face suffering in more than 130 armed conflicts, and the guidance is intended to help turn renewed political commitment into action that better protects people caught in conflict. It addresses how armed forces refer to enemy and civilian populations and how digital and social media activity is handled in conflict settings.
The guidance was led by 27 states across five continents and draws on the experience of conflicts in more than 130 locations where civilians are affected. How individual governments will adopt it has not been detailed.
The details
The guidance covers how armed forces should refer to enemy and civilian populations, monitoring of social media use by armed forces and public authorities, and integrating humanitarian values into civic education and national commemorations. It also proposes keeping health care, water, electricity, sanitation and communications accessible, placing medical facilities on no-strike lists, maintaining safe maritime corridors for essential goods, and regulating personal digital devices in operations to help prevent sexual violence and child recruitment.
Timeline
Week of November 3, 2026: guidance published ahead of the Global IHL Dialogue in Geneva
December 2026: High-Level Conference on Humanity in War scheduled in Jordan
Roadmap
The guidance builds on the Geneva Conventions framework by translating its principles into operational steps for modern warfare, including digital conduct and infrastructure protection. It follows a pattern of states seeking practical implementation after broad legal commitments.
Practical measures such as protected zones around essential infrastructure and safe maritime corridors could affect access to health care, water, electricity and communications for civilians in conflict areas. The guidance also urges governments to regulate personal digital devices in operations to reduce certain abuses.
The takeaway
Civilian protection in war depends on translating legal principles into concrete operational rules, from how forces speak about enemies to how infrastructure is shielded. Watching whether states adopt these measures at the December Jordan conference will show whether the commitment holds.
What happens next
The High-Level Conference on Humanity in War in Jordan is scheduled for December 2026, where these issues are expected to be discussed further.
Further reading
Explore more on Military developments and how international humanitarian law shapes armed conflict policy.
