Reports
Poverty and IHL
- International Justice Team
- 5 July 2025
1.1 The Overlooked Nexus: Poverty and Armed Conflict
International humanitarian law (IHL), also known as the law of armed conflict or the guidelines that govern the conduct of war, was established to mitigate suffering and human rights abuses for persons who are not directly involved in the conflict and to regulate the methods of warfare. As part of the wider framework of international law, IHL is binding for states that have ratified the various conventions and treaties in which the regulations are enshrined (ICRC, 2004).
While IHL is designed to lessen suffering during conflict, the multifaceted impact of poverty on conflict-affected populations, both as a cause and a consequence, is an underexplored and widely overlooked aspect in the context of IHL.
It is of utmost importance to develop a comprehensive understanding of this nexus because poverty significantly exacerbates humanitarian crises, which is essential for addressing them effectively. As a long-term consequence of conflict and war, economic devastation and poverty can endure for decades, spanning generations and further complicating the peace process and sustainable development.
1.2 Differentiating Legal Frameworks: IHL, International Human Rights Law and Development Frameworks
To understand the context and lens of this report focusing on poverty and IHL, it is crucial to differentiate the different frameworks that protect people from human rights violations connected to poverty and what IHL covers precisely.
As already outlined above, IHL restricts the impact of armed conflicts by safeguarding non-participants and limiting warfare techniques, emphasising immediate protection and assistance during hostilities. However, international human rights law (IHRL) protects people from human rights violations at all times, generally providing the broader legal framework for defining and addressing deprivation and highlighting the specific ways conflict can violate these rights, including during conflict. It also entails socioeconomic rights, as this report will cover later, which are directly relevant to poverty. Furthermore, there are also development frameworks that are dedicated to long-term socio-economic progress, poverty eradication and sustainable development but they operate during peacetime and more in the aftermath of conflict (Klabbers, 2020).
Although these frameworks are distinct, they are increasingly viewed as interconnected and complementary. For this report, their links help to understand the multi-dimensional nature of poverty in conflict, highlight the inherent limitations of IHL’s direct engagement with long-term deprivation and provide essential context for why a comprehensive response to conflict-induced poverty might require more than IHL alone.
1.3 The Paradox of Protection and Poverty’s Dual Role
As touched upon, IHL is firstly designed to protect civilians and ensure access to basic needs during conflicts. Nevertheless, it has only a few direct provisions that address “poverty,” directly and instead focuses on preventing harm and facilitating humanitarian efforts. This creates a contradiction because poverty is both a major cause of armed conflict, like due to inequalities and lack of opportunities, and a severe outcome, leading to economic collapse, displacement and loss of livelihoods. Conflict often worsens poverty, creating a vicious cycle. Since IHL mainly addresses immediate humanitarian issues, there is an increasing need for better integration with IHRL and development policies. A comprehensive, holistic strategy is essential to shift from merely providing immediate relief to fostering sustainable solutions that address both the urgent and long-term aspects of poverty in conflict zones, which will be examined in the following sections (Kizilkaya, 2021).
International humanitarian law (IHL), also known as the law of armed conflict or the guidelines that govern the conduct of war, was established to mitigate suffering and human rights abuses for persons who are not directly involved in the conflict and to regulate the methods of warfare. As part of the wider framework of international law, IHL is binding for states that have ratified the various conventions and treaties in which the regulations are enshrined (ICRC, 2004).
While IHL is designed to lessen suffering during conflict, the multifaceted impact of poverty on conflict-affected populations, both as a cause and a consequence, is an underexplored and widely overlooked aspect in the context of IHL.
It is of utmost importance to develop a comprehensive understanding of this nexus because poverty significantly exacerbates humanitarian crises, which is essential for addressing them effectively. As a long-term consequence of conflict and war, economic devastation and poverty can endure for decades, spanning generations and further complicating the peace process and sustainable development.
1.2 Differentiating Legal Frameworks: IHL, International Human Rights Law and Development Frameworks
To understand the context and lens of this report focusing on poverty and IHL, it is crucial to differentiate the different frameworks that protect people from human rights violations connected to poverty and what IHL covers precisely.
As already outlined above, IHL restricts the impact of armed conflicts by safeguarding non-participants and limiting warfare techniques, emphasising immediate protection and assistance during hostilities. However, international human rights law (IHRL) protects people from human rights violations at all times, generally providing the broader legal framework for defining and addressing deprivation and highlighting the specific ways conflict can violate these rights, including during conflict. It also entails socioeconomic rights, as this report will cover later, which are directly relevant to poverty. Furthermore, there are also development frameworks that are dedicated to long-term socio-economic progress, poverty eradication and sustainable development but they operate during peacetime and more in the aftermath of conflict (Klabbers, 2020).
Although these frameworks are distinct, they are increasingly viewed as interconnected and complementary. For this report, their links help to understand the multi-dimensional nature of poverty in conflict, highlight the inherent limitations of IHL’s direct engagement with long-term deprivation and provide essential context for why a comprehensive response to conflict-induced poverty might require more than IHL alone.
1.3 The Paradox of Protection and Poverty’s Dual Role
As touched upon, IHL is firstly designed to protect civilians and ensure access to basic needs during conflicts. Nevertheless, it has only a few direct provisions that address “poverty,” directly and instead focuses on preventing harm and facilitating humanitarian efforts. This creates a contradiction because poverty is both a major cause of armed conflict, like due to inequalities and lack of opportunities, and a severe outcome, leading to economic collapse, displacement and loss of livelihoods. Conflict often worsens poverty, creating a vicious cycle. Since IHL mainly addresses immediate humanitarian issues, there is an increasing need for better integration with IHRL and development policies. A comprehensive, holistic strategy is essential to shift from merely providing immediate relief to fostering sustainable solutions that address both the urgent and long-term aspects of poverty in conflict zones, which will be examined in the following sections (Kizilkaya, 2021).
✨ AI summary
1.1 The Overlooked Nexus: Poverty and Armed Conflict
International humanitarian law (IHL), also known as the law of armed conflict or the guidelines that govern the conduct of war, was established to mitigate suffering and human rights abuses for persons who are not directly involved in the conflict and to regulate the methods of warfare. As part of the wider framework of international law, IHL is binding for states that have ratified the various conventions and treaties in which the regulations are enshrined (ICRC, 2004).
While IHL is designed to lessen suffering during conflict, the multifaceted impact of poverty on conflict-affected populations, both as a cause and a consequence, is an underexplored and widely overlooked aspect in the context of IHL.
It is of utmost importance to develop a comprehensive understanding of this nexus because poverty significantly exacerbates humanitarian crises, which is essential for addressing them effectively. As a long-term consequence of conflict and war, economic devastation and poverty can endure for decades, spanning generations and further complicating the peace process and sustainable development.
1.2 Differentiating Legal Frameworks: IHL, International Human Rights Law and Development Frameworks
To understand the context and lens of this report focusing on poverty and IHL, it is crucial to differentiate the different frameworks that protect people from human rights violations connected to poverty and what IHL covers precisely.
As already outlined above, IHL restricts the impact of armed conflicts by safeguarding non-participants and limiting warfare techniques, emphasising immediate protection and assistance during hostilities. However, international human rights law (IHRL) protects people from human rights violations at all times, generally providing the broader legal framework for defining and addressing deprivation and highlighting the specific ways conflict can violate these rights, including during conflict. It also entails socioeconomic rights, as this report will cover later, which are directly relevant to poverty. Furthermore, there are also development frameworks that are dedicated to long-term socio-economic progress, poverty eradication and sustainable development but they operate during peacetime and more in the aftermath of conflict (Klabbers, 2020).
Although these frameworks are distinct, they are increasingly viewed as interconnected and complementary. For this report, their links help to understand the multi-dimensional nature of poverty in conflict, highlight the inherent limitations of IHL’s direct engagement with long-term deprivation and provide essential context for why a comprehensive response to conflict-induced poverty might require more than IHL alone.
1.3 The Paradox of Protection and Poverty’s Dual Role
As touched upon, IHL is firstly designed to protect civilians and ensure access to basic needs during conflicts. Nevertheless, it has only a few direct provisions that address “poverty,” directly and instead focuses on preventing harm and facilitating humanitarian efforts. This creates a contradiction because poverty is both a major cause of armed conflict, like due to inequalities and lack of opportunities, and a severe outcome, leading to economic collapse, displacement and loss of livelihoods. Conflict often worsens poverty, creating a vicious cycle. Since IHL mainly addresses immediate humanitarian issues, there is an increasing need for better integration with IHRL and development policies. A comprehensive, holistic strategy is essential to shift from merely providing immediate relief to fostering sustainable solutions that address both the urgent and long-term aspects of poverty in conflict zones, which will be examined in the following sections (Kizilkaya, 2021).
International humanitarian law (IHL), also known as the law of armed conflict or the guidelines that govern the conduct of war, was established to mitigate suffering and human rights abuses for persons who are not directly involved in the conflict and to regulate the methods of warfare. As part of the wider framework of international law, IHL is binding for states that have ratified the various conventions and treaties in which the regulations are enshrined (ICRC, 2004).
While IHL is designed to lessen suffering during conflict, the multifaceted impact of poverty on conflict-affected populations, both as a cause and a consequence, is an underexplored and widely overlooked aspect in the context of IHL.
It is of utmost importance to develop a comprehensive understanding of this nexus because poverty significantly exacerbates humanitarian crises, which is essential for addressing them effectively. As a long-term consequence of conflict and war, economic devastation and poverty can endure for decades, spanning generations and further complicating the peace process and sustainable development.
1.2 Differentiating Legal Frameworks: IHL, International Human Rights Law and Development Frameworks
To understand the context and lens of this report focusing on poverty and IHL, it is crucial to differentiate the different frameworks that protect people from human rights violations connected to poverty and what IHL covers precisely.
As already outlined above, IHL restricts the impact of armed conflicts by safeguarding non-participants and limiting warfare techniques, emphasising immediate protection and assistance during hostilities. However, international human rights law (IHRL) protects people from human rights violations at all times, generally providing the broader legal framework for defining and addressing deprivation and highlighting the specific ways conflict can violate these rights, including during conflict. It also entails socioeconomic rights, as this report will cover later, which are directly relevant to poverty. Furthermore, there are also development frameworks that are dedicated to long-term socio-economic progress, poverty eradication and sustainable development but they operate during peacetime and more in the aftermath of conflict (Klabbers, 2020).
Although these frameworks are distinct, they are increasingly viewed as interconnected and complementary. For this report, their links help to understand the multi-dimensional nature of poverty in conflict, highlight the inherent limitations of IHL’s direct engagement with long-term deprivation and provide essential context for why a comprehensive response to conflict-induced poverty might require more than IHL alone.
1.3 The Paradox of Protection and Poverty’s Dual Role
As touched upon, IHL is firstly designed to protect civilians and ensure access to basic needs during conflicts. Nevertheless, it has only a few direct provisions that address “poverty,” directly and instead focuses on preventing harm and facilitating humanitarian efforts. This creates a contradiction because poverty is both a major cause of armed conflict, like due to inequalities and lack of opportunities, and a severe outcome, leading to economic collapse, displacement and loss of livelihoods. Conflict often worsens poverty, creating a vicious cycle. Since IHL mainly addresses immediate humanitarian issues, there is an increasing need for better integration with IHRL and development policies. A comprehensive, holistic strategy is essential to shift from merely providing immediate relief to fostering sustainable solutions that address both the urgent and long-term aspects of poverty in conflict zones, which will be examined in the following sections (Kizilkaya, 2021).
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