La guerre est l'un des obstacles majeurs à la réalisation du droit de chacun á une alimentation adéquate. Cet article examine les dispositions pertinentes des différents traités de droit international, qu'elles appartiennent au droit des droits de l'homme ou au droit international humanitaire. L'auteur conclut que les instruments de droit international humanitaire en vigueur ont codifié un corps de règies suffisant pour assurer une alimentation adéquate aux personnes touchees par un conflit arme. Contrairement aux traités relatifs aux droits de l'homme, les conventions de droit humanitaire ne créent pas des droits subjectifs pour les personnes concernées, mais des obligations qui lient les États.

The 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols require States Parties to disseminate the content of these humanitarian treaties as widely as possible in their respective countries. Of course, their inclusion in military instruction is indispensable to ensure their implementation in time of armed conflict. But it is equally important to promote knowledge of humanitarian law among those whom it is intended to protect — the civilian population — as well as among those who have to apply it — public officials of various ministries. At the same time, political leaders and decision-makers must also be familiar with that law, so that they are aware of its relevance, realism and mode of operation if and when a conflict should break out. Therefore, to ensure respect for it — and also to promote its development — it is an essential task to include international humanitarian law in higher education. The ICRC has taken a number of steps to achieve just that in the South Asian region.

The International Fact-Finding Commission mentioned by Article 90 of Additional Protocol I is the only new measure introduced by the Diplomatic Conference of 1914-1911 intended to strengthen implementation of international humanitarian law. (The word ‘humanitarian’ was added to the title by the Commission itself, in order to better express the Commission's limited jurisdiction.) The Commission was established and its rules of procedure were adopted, but never since 1977 has any party to an armed conflict or any other State ever asked the Commission to exercise its activity in a concrete situation. The author (a member of the Commission) examines the reasons of this apparent failure and suggests new ways of understanding Article 90. He has no doubts about the Commission's usefulness, and he calls upon States and the other members of the international community – in particular the United Nations – to accept the Commission as a tool for strengthening respect for international humanitarian law.

The establishment of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, and the recent adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, are important steps towards ensuring that justice prevails. However, existing and future international criminal courts alone will never be able to try all cases of serious violations of international humanitarian law. Domestic courts have to step in and they must keep their role as the main agents for rendering justice. The rule according to which the ICC's jurisdiction is a complementary one is wise and also indispensable for guaranteeing the new court's success. The international courts should actively seek to establish cooperation agreements with national jurisdictions and facilitate the transfer of cases, in particular those of minor importance. In the authors'view the future of criminal justice lies in an invigorated domestic justice system

Le conflit interne en Colombie a déjà fait un grand nombre de victimes et détruit une grande partie des infrastructures du pays, notamment celles de la santé. La survie du personnel médical est directement menacée par les actes de violences et, autre conséquence de cette situation, les services de santé n'arrivent plus à faire face aux besoins, en ce qui concerne les soins aux victimes des affrontements. La mission médicate est done en danger. Le présent article est issu d'une recherche sur les causes et sur le caractère des actes de violence commis contre le personnel medical. II présente en outre les mesures prises par la délégation du CICR sur place pour renforcer la sécurité de son personnel médical sur le terrain et contribuer ainsi à un meilleur respect du droit international humanitaire en Colombie.

Le présent article se fonde sur une étude que la Croix-Rouge allemande a commandée sur son action dans les Balkans. Après quelques considérations d'ordre méthodologique, les auteurs analysent le contexte dans lequel la Croix-Rouge allemande a déployé ses activités enfaveur des populations des différents pays de la région. La collaboration avec les autres Sociétés nationales fait l'objet d'un examen approfondi, suivi de propositions concrètes en vue d'un renforcement des liens entre une Société nationale de l'extérieur et les Croix-Rouges de la région. Les auteurs insistent tout particuliérement sur la nécessite d'améliorer les capacités en matière de planification et de gestion des actions humanitaires, tant du côté des Sociétés nationales des pays bénéficiaires que de celui des Sociétés nationales participantes.

During the 1948–1949 conflict in Palestine, the ICRC conducted a major operation for the wounded and the sick, the prisoners of war and civilian victims of the conflict. It was also one of the first international organizations to provide Palestinian refugees with concrete help: to begin with, starting in July 1948, through the delegation it had opened several months earlier in Palestine to carry out its traditional protection and assistance work there; later, by setting up the ICRC Commissariat for Relief to Palestine Refugees, which, alongside other organizations, acted as a distribution agency within the framework of the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees. In 1950, this activity was taken over by UNWRA.

In the course of half a century of political turmoil and civil war in Colombia, a large number of civilians have fled their homes or been forcefully removed to other places. The author gives an overview of UNHCR and ICRC activities for these internally displaced persons. While UNHCR strives mainly to strengthen their ability to cope, the ICRC specializes in direct assistance to displaced persons and pursues its traditional protection work. Action taken for Colombian refugees in neighbouring countries is also discussed.