IRRC No. 906

“Safe areas”: The international legal framework

Reading time 10 min read
Download PDF
This article is also available in

In recent years there have been repeated calls for the establishment of so-called "safe areas" to protect civilians from the effects of hostilities in a number of contexts. The present article presents the international law framework relevant to the establishment and operation of such areas: the provisions of international humanitarian law on protected zones; the rules regulating resort to armed force, Security Council authorization and mandates for the establishment of such areas by multinational forces in the absence of agreement between belligerents; and the refugee and international human rights issues raised by such zones.

Download PDF

Continue reading #IRRC No. 906

All articles

“Safe areas”: The international legal framework author: Emanuela-Chiara Gillard

10 min read

A universal treaty for disasters? Remarks on the International Law Commission’s Draft Articles on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters author: Giulio Bartolini

13 min read

Naval robots and rescue author: Dr Robert Sparrow, Dr Rob McLaughlin, Dr Mark Howard

9 min read

Emerging military technologies applied to urban warfare author:

4 min read

The laws of war are our shield against barbarity author: Peter Maurer

1 min read

New publication: The updated Commentaries on the 1949 Geneva Conventions author:

1 min read

Book review: The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Conflict author:

1 min read

New publications in international humanitarian law and on the International Committee of the Red Cross author:

3 min read

Go back to the first article

More about International Review of the Red Cross, Bodies of law related to IHL

article IRRC No. 916-917

Editorial: Counterterrorism, sanctions and war - Helen Durham, Director of International Law & Policy, ICRC author: Helen Durham

15 min read
article IRRC No. 916-917

International humanitarian law, principled humanitarian action, counterterrorism and sanctions: Some perspectives on selected issues author: Tristan Ferraro

88 min read
article IRRC No. 914

Editorial, Emerging voices: Increasing the diversity of voices featured in the International Review of the Red Cross author: Bruno Demeyere

5 min read

More from Emanuela-Chiara Gillard

article IRRC No. 916-917

Screening of final beneficiaries – a red line in humanitarian operations. An emerging concern in development work author: Emanuela-Chiara Gillard, Sangeeta Goswami, Fulco van Deventer

39 min read
article IRRC No. 890

The law regulating cross-border relief operations author: Emanuela-Chiara Gillard

12 min read
article IRRC No. 871

There’s no place like home: States’ obligations in relation to transfers of persons author: Emanuela-Chiara Gillard

19 min read
article IRRC No. 863

Business goes to war: private military/security companies and international humanitarian law author: Emanuela-Chiara Gillard

20 min read