Episode Details

In armed conflicts across the globe, critical infrastructure enabling the delivery of essential services for the civilian population is subjected to repeated attack, incidental harm and misuse by warring parties, resulting in widespread service disruption. The humanitarian impact of this disturbing trend is immediate and long-term, ranging from mass displacement, hunger and food insecurity, energy insecurity, an increased risk of outbreak and spread of infectious disease, reduced livelihoods, and even death. The grave reverberating effects of essential service disruption are often long-lasting and can transcend borders. In this post, ICRC Legal Advisers Eirini Giorgou and Abby Zeith take a closer look at the limits imposed by international humanitarian law (IHL) to protect critical infrastructure enabling the delivery of energy to civilians against the danger of hostilities.