Geneva Call statement – Gaza, UNGA 2025, and the urgency to reaffirm international humanitarian law

As Geneva Call marks its 25th anniversary, we join the international community in welcoming the renewed global calls issued during the 2025 United Nations General Assembly to uphold international humanitarian law (IHL) and protect civilians in armed conflicts. This moment provides an opportunity — and an obligation — to reaffirm that IHL remains one of the most effective frameworks for preserving life, dignity, and the possibility of peace.

For a quarter of a century, we have worked with armed groups and de facto authorities (AGDAs) to improve compliance with IHL. We have seen that when the law is applied in good faith, lives are spared, humanitarian space is preserved, and paths to peace remain open. But we have also borne witness to countless violations and profound human suffering.

Nowhere is this more tragically evident than in Gaza. The vile attack of October 7^th against innocent civilians showed total disregard for basic humanitarian principles. Following this heinous act, the extent of destruction and civilian suffering there is unprecedented in recent memory. With no safe place to go, populations are subjected to conditions of enforced famine, mass displacement, and indiscriminate violence — a direct result of serious violations of IHL, including the deliberate targeting of civilians, the destruction of essential infrastructure, and the obstruction of humanitarian assistance.

Geneva Call was founded on the assumption that States — as High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions — would lead by example, setting the standard for compliance. Yet the reversal we are witnessing today is deeply troubling: in some contexts, AGDAs show greater political will and progress in respecting IHL than certain state forces, who appear more invested in the logic of violence than in the protection of civilians.

This reversal — laid bare before the world in Gaza — has a profound impact on the global stage. The failure of states to uphold fundamental rules is eroding the credibility of IHL itself. Gaza has become a defining test of whether states are still committed to the law, and whether accountability will be demanded of all those who violate it. When state armed forces so visibly break these norms, it sets a dangerous precedent, weakening efforts to persuade any armed actor that compliance is possible and necessary.

The way wars are fought matters. It shapes the prospects for peace, reconciliation, and trust between communities for decades to come. Twenty-five years on, and at this critical juncture highlighted at UNGA 2025, Geneva Call reaffirms that the true measure of our humanity lies not in the force we can wield, but in the restraint we choose — and in our collective, unwavering commitment to the law that protects us all. At the heart of this law lies the most basic principle of all: the obligation to distinguish between combatants and civilians. This principle must be upheld immediately in Gaza, and allegations of international crimes must be investigated and prosecuted.