Red Cross vice president says respect for laws of war key to lasting peace

The vice president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Saturday that respect for international humanitarian law is essential for mediation efforts and lasting peace.

Speaking during a panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Türkiye, Jurg Lauber said “even war has rules” and warned that growing disregard for those rules is making peace harder to achieve.

“How wars are fought influences how and when they can be ended,” he said.

Lauber said humanitarian law helps preserve “a minimum of shared humanity” and creates pathways toward de-escalation, ceasefires and peace agreements.

He noted that the ICRC launched an initiative in September 2024 with Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan and South Africa to make international humanitarian law a political priority.

According to Lauber, 106 states have joined the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitment to International Humanitarian Law so far.

He also said humanitarian organizations often have access and trust where political actors do not, especially in fragmented conflicts.

“The first steps towards peace are often humanitarian,” he said.

Lauber pointed to the ICRC’s role in facilitating the return of hostages, detainees and remains between Hamas and Israel, as well as prisoner exchanges linked to the Russia-Ukraine war.

He urged mediators not to ignore humanitarian law for the sake of quick political gains.

“Please don't neglect humanitarian law and humanitarian principles in order to attain some short, sweet success, which then probably most likely will not be sustainable,” he said.