Following the ratification of the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, and the Additional Protocols of 1977, the Republic of Moldova has undertaken the obligation to promote the provisions of these international documents that constitute International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and establish the rights of wounded soldiers, prisoners, and the civilian population during armed conflict.

International humanitarian law is an important part of public international law and includes those rules that, in times of armed conflict, are intended to protect persons who are not taking or are no longer taking part in hostilities and to limit the means and methods of warfare used.

International humanitarian law (IHL) – also known as the law of armed conflicts or the law of war – has two separate branches:

• Geneva Law or humanitarian law proper, which is designed to protect military personnel who are not taking or are no longer taking part in hostilities and persons who are not actively involved in hostilities, especially civilians.

• Hague Law or the law of war, which establishes the rights and obligations of belligerents in conducting military operations and imposes limits on the means of harming the enemy.

However, these branches of IHL are not completely separate, as the effect of some of the rules of Hague law is to protect the victims of conflict, while the effect of some of the rules of Geneva law is to limit the actions that belligerents may undertake during hostilities. With the adoption of the Additional Protocols of 1977, which combine both branches of IHL, this distinction has retained only historical and educational value.