| 1863 |
| 1863 | Resolutions of the Geneva International Conference |
| 1864 | Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field |
| 1880 | The Laws of War on Land |
| 1899 | Final Act of the International Peace Conference and associated Conventions with regard to war on land, maritime warfare, and the use of certain gases and other weapons, and other matters |
| 1906 | Final Act of the Second Peace Conference and associated Conventions regarding the opening of hostilities, the rights and duties of neutral powers, bombardment by naval forces, and other matters |
| 1929 | Final Act of the Diplomatic Conference and associated Convention on the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in the Field, and Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War |
| 1934 | Draft International Convention on the Condition and Protection of Civilians of enemy nationality who are on territory belonging to or occupied by a belligerent |
| 1945 |
| 1945 | Agreement for the Prosecution and Punishment of the Major War Criminals of the European Axis, and Charter of the International Military Tribunal |
| 1946 | Call at an international congress in France for the adoption of an international criminal code prohibiting crimes against humanity, and the prompt establishment of an International Criminal Court |
| 1948 | Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide |
| 1948 | UN General Assembly adopts Universal declaration of Human Rights, detailing human rights and fundamental freedoms |
| 1949 | Geneva Conventions for the Protection of War Victims
Protect wounded, sick and shipwrecked combatants, the people protecting them, the buildings in which they are sheltered and equipment used for their benefit. Also protect prisoners of war and the civilian population. (189 states parties) |
| 1954 | Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict
Protects monuments of art, architecture or history and other cultural property. (101 states parties)
First Protocol to the Convention says such monuments shall not be exported from occupied territories and that property so exported shall be safeguarded and returned. (83 states parties)
Second Protocol strengthens the repression of violations and also applies to armed conflicts. (9 states parties) |
| 1956 | Draft Rules for the Limitation of the Dangers Incurred by the Civilian Population in time of War |
| 1968 | Human Rights in Armed Conflicts, Resolution XXIII adopted by the International Conference on Human Rights, Tehran, Iran |
| 1968 | Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity |
| 1972 |
| 1972 | Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons, and on their Destruction. The Convention bans biological weapons. (144 states parties) |
| 1977 | Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions
Broadens the protection extended to civilians and limits the means and methods of war (159 states parties)
Declaration provided for under Article 90 of Protocol 1 - International Fact-Finding Mission
Provides for international fact-finding commission to investigate allegations of "grave breaches and serious violations" of international humanitarian law, and facilitate the restoration of an attitude of respect for the law (60 states parties) |
| 1977 | Addition Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions
Contains fundamental guarantees for persons not taking part in hostilities during non-international armed conflicts, and sets rules relating to the protection of civilians, civilian object and installations essential to the survival of the population (151 states parties) |
| 1980 | Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons.
Establishes a framework for Protocol I banning the use of non-detectable fragments; Protocol 2 banning the use of mines, booby traps and other devices against civilians, and restricting their use against military targets; and Protocol 3 prohibiting the use of incendiary weapons against civilians and civilian objects, as well as restricting their use against military targets |
| 1989 | International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries |
| 1993 |
| 1993 | Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and use of Chemical Weapons, and their Destruction. Bans chemical weapons (145 states parties) |
| 1993 | International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia established, to prosecute those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law there since 1991 |
| 1994 | Establishment of the International criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, to prosecute those responsible for genocide and other crimes against humanity in Rwanda and neighbouring states between 1 January and 31 December 1994 |
| 1996 | Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-traps and other Devices |
| 1997 | Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and use of Anti-Personnel Mines, and their Destruction.
Bans anti-personnel landmines (122 states parties) |
| 1998 | Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Establishes a permanent international criminal court with jurisdiction over genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. It will also have jurisdiction over the crime of aggression, once defined. The Rome Statue entered force on 1 July 2002. (89 states parties) |
| 1998 | On 2 September, the ICTR hands down its first conviction, finding a Rwandan Hutu leader guilty of genocide |
| 2000 |
| 2000 | Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflicts.
Raises the age limit for participation in hostilities to 18 years. |
| 2003 | Inauguration of the International Criminal Court, the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, in The 2003 Hague, with the swearing-in of its judges. |
| | The 18-judge ICC will have jurisdiction over the most serious crimes, including war crimes, genocide, mass murder, enslavement, rape, torture, and, once defined, the crime of aggression. The Court's jurisdiction will cover only crimes committed after the entry into force of The Rome Statute on 1 July 2002. The statute allows states parties as well as the UN Security Council to refer situations to the Court for investigation. |
| | |
| | Primary source: ICRC |