War does not erase a person's right to protection. As armed conflicts grow more complex, international humanitarian law provides the basis for limiting the effects of war, protecting civilians, and ensuring that humanitarian aid still reaches those who need it.
This issue was among the topics discussed in the 9th certificate course (K-9), "Humanity in War: The Law of Armed Conflict from Multireligious Perspectives," organized by the Faculty of Sharia and Law (FSH) and the Center for Developing Cooperation and International Affairs (CDCIA) of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jakarta and the Association of Teachers and Scholars of Islamic Law and International Humanitarian Law in Indonesia (INSANIA). The course is being held October 19-22, 2026, in Yogyakarta.
In a session titled "Contemporary Challenges of Armed Conflict: ICRC's Role in Preserving Humanity," held at University Hotel on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Christian Donny Putranto, Deputy Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, explained the ICRC's role in responding to humanitarian problems in conflict zones. The session was attended by academics from various universities and religious leaders.
Donny explained that armed conflicts today present increasingly complex challenges, from the involvement of non-state armed groups to long-term effects on civilian populations. He presented data on conflicts, displacement, missing persons, and attacks on medical services to show the scale of the need for humanitarian protection in many regions.
Amid technological advances and changing patterns of warfare, another challenge is ensuring that international humanitarian law continues to be respected by all parties involved. According to Donny, humanitarian rules can even be framed through certain rhetoric to justify actions in conflict. For this reason, understanding humanitarian law must be accompanied by efforts to ensure it is applied in real situations.
On the occasion, Donny also briefly described the ICRC as a humanitarian organization with a mandate to protect people affected by armed conflict, provide humanitarian assistance, and promote compliance with international humanitarian law. The organization is neither a national nor an international law enforcement body, and it does not act as a mediator in resolving conflicts.
The principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity, and independence, he continued, are the basis for carrying out this mandate. These principles allow the ICRC to communicate with all parties, including those in conflict, so that aid and protection can reach people in need without discrimination.
Neutrality, in the ICRC's approach, does not mean ignoring victims' suffering. It is the foundation for carrying out a humanitarian mandate without being perceived as pursuing a political agenda or the interests of any particular party. A persuasive and sustained approach is used to encourage respect for humanitarian law and to maintain humanitarian access.
Donny also explained that, in carrying out its work, the ICRC first assesses the characteristics of a conflict and the legal framework that applies. The organization then monitors the humanitarian situation, seeks access to prisoners of war and affected people, helps restore contact between families separated by conflict, and promotes understanding of international humanitarian law.
The ICRC also works with other components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), in line with each body's mandate.
A fundamental question in international humanitarian law is how to limit suffering when war cannot be avoided. In an introductory session on international humanitarian law, Fairuz El-Mechwar, a legal staff member at the ICRC Jakarta, explained that international humanitarian law is a branch of international law that limits the effects of armed conflict.
This law protects people who are not, or are no longer, directly taking part in hostilities, including civilians and those who are wounded or taken prisoner. Humanitarian law also restricts the use of certain weapons and prohibits certain methods and means of warfare.
In this way, humanitarian law does not focus on justifying any war but on protecting human beings amid war. The existence of these rules affirms that even in conflict, parties to a war remain obligated to respect humanitarian limits.
This perspective is relevant to a course that brings legal studies together with diverse religious traditions. The meeting of academics and religious leaders opens space to discuss how humanitarian values are understood across traditions, while also examining the role of international law in providing concrete protection to conflict victims.
This collaboration is a space to bring legal and religious perspectives together in understanding one fundamental point: even in war, humanity must still have a place. Through learning across disciplines and religious traditions, UIN Sunan Kalijaga, together with the ICRC Jakarta and INSANIA, invites participants to see that protecting people is not merely a matter of rules but a responsibility inherent in every effort to uphold human dignity. (humassk)
