Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to reviewing the Geneva Conventions and legal standards for humanitarian treatment and protection of civilians during war.

We continue to call for International Humanitarian Law (IHL), including the Geneva Conventions of 1949, to be respected around the world. International Humanitarian Law provides the minimum level of compliance required by parties to armed conflict. However, parties to the Geneva Conventions can choose, as the UK does, to implement policy that goes beyond these legal obligations, providing greater protection for civilians during war. Promoting IHL compliance is the cornerstone of UK humanitarian policy, as is evidenced by our activities recorded in the UK Voluntary Report on the Domestic Implementation of IHL.