About The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law

The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law was first published by Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier in 1998. Regularly reprinted and translated into several languages, the latest print edition in English dates from 2014 and serves as the basis for the content of this website, which is updated regularly. 

Designed with victims and those who assist them in mind, the Dictionary presents, in a simple format, all aspects of international law applicable to the protection and relief of victims of conflicts and crises.

It analyzes how this law has evolved in the face of new challenges related to the war on terrorism, new forms of conflict and humanitarian action, the emergence of international criminal justice, and the reshaping of humanitarian consensus and rules in a multipolar world.

For each concept, it describes the potential dangers, the applicable rules, and the means to facilitate the application of the law and to address its violations.

For each concept, it describes the potential dangers, the applicable rules, and the means to facilitate the application of the law and address its violations.

This website is intended to serve as a reference for all journalists and citizens, policymakers, thinkers and opinion leaders, aid workers and practitioners, warlords and military personnel…

Here you will find all the entries in the Dictionary, which are regularly updated. The website is designed to be user-friendly, interactive, and educational. To make navigation intuitive, the various articles are organized by category, and a search engine is also available. Two indexes list the text of the 31 international conventions most frequently used in the dictionary, as well as a country-by-country list of those applicable in each of the world’s 195 countries.

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