ICRC Hosts High-Level Dialogue with Diplomatic Community on Cyber Warfare and IHL

Ninety-five participants, including representatives of AU member states, diplomatic missions, United Nations (UN) agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, civil society, and policy experts, gathered for the event on 3 June 2026.

The event was themed “Upholding International Humanitarian Law in the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) during Armed Conflict.” Life as we know is increasingly shaped by augmented experiences and digital optimization. Every aspect of our day-to-day activities is now being influenced, redesigned, and redirected by digital technologies. If they are not replacing traditional systems, they are certainly transforming most of them.

Warfare is changing in its means with technology, and as the means expand, the risk to civilian protection increases. The extent of this is now on our mobiles every morning. We are witnessing a gradual erosion of the limits to uphold international humanitarian law,” Patrick Youssef, ICRC regional director, told the gathering.

At this very moment, the ICRC, as it has done throughout history, is examining this profound change and its implications for IHL. Emerging technologies of warfare, with their automated, unmanned, and networked systems, have created sophisticated protection challenges, including in Africa, where a significant number of the more than 130 armed conflicts currently taking place around the world are being fought.