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Geneva Conventions

Geneva Conventions

5 4.2
Agreements between countries that set rules for how to treat people in war, especially wounded soldiers, prisoners, and civilians
  • noun
  • /dʒəˈniːvə kənˈvɛnʃənz/
  • Formal
translation icon : Convenciones de Ginebra
  • For definitions of crimes, it cites Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which includes murder and some unintentional killings.
  • Geneva Conventions of 1949

Examples

  • Many countries are obligated to follow the Geneva Conventions, which outline the rights of wounded soldiers in combat.

  • Some laws have been agreed to by international treaty, as in the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

    Academic text (1993)

  • One such transformation took place in the 1970s, when the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions were established.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The State of Palestine has already ratified the four Geneva Conventions.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Historically, wars have been fought between states in accordance with the rules of war outlined in the Geneva Conventions.

    Academic text (2001)

  • The testers looked for violations of the Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols, which cover how war should be waged.

    Blog text (11)

  • Intervention by the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations to come to the rescue of victims of armed conflicts is specifically provided for in one of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the two Optional Protocols of 1977.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The drafters of the Geneva Conventions carefully delineated combatants and civilians to assist militaries in distinguishing between them.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The Geneva Conventions set clear standards for the humane treatment of prisoners of war and civilians during armed conflicts.

  • Violations of the Geneva Conventions can lead to international legal repercussions for those responsible for wartime atrocities.

Synonyms

Geneva Convention
vsGeneva Conventions
  • Formal
18 4.4

An international agreement that sets rules for treating wounded soldiers, prisoners of war and civilians during armed conflict

is a collection of treaties setting humanitarian standards for wartime protection

Surface Forms

Geneva Conventions plural

Morphology

Geneva + convention

The compound is directly compositional: 'Geneva' names the city and 'conventions' denotes formal international agreements, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to treaties associated with Geneva. While the exact legal/humanitarian details may require background knowledge, the basic meaning 'a series of international agreements' is clearly derivable and cross-linguistically familiar.

Etymology

Geneva Conventions comes from the city of Geneva, where countries met and signed the first rules to protect wounded soldiers and prisoners. So the name now means the international 'treaties' that say how people should be treated during war.