Tools and technical guidance
The IHL Centre develops practical tools and provides specialised technical guidance to support humanitarian actors, civil society organisations, journalists, policymakers, and other stakeholders working in situations of armed conflict.
Our resources are designed to help bridge the gap between international humanitarian law (IHL) and operational realities on the ground. We aim to make IHL more accessible, practical, and actionable for those engaged in humanitarian response, protection work, advocacy, reporting, monitoring, and policy engagement.
Whether through legal analysis, practical guidance, training, or direct technical support, our work seeks to strengthen the ability of actors to use IHL effectively to promote the protection of civilians and reduce harm in conflict settings.
IHL Alerts- Timely Analysis For Informed Action
Developed in partnership with Insecurity Insight and launched in 2026, IHL Alerts identify and analyse emerging legal and humanitarian concerns and potential violations of IHL at an early stage, when there may still be opportunities to intervene to prevent or mitigate harm.
Each Alert provides focused, actionable recommendations to support timely and credible responses by governments, diplomats, humanitarian actors and other relevant stakeholders. IHL Alerts are designed to complement, rather than replace, more comprehensive legal analysis. They do not provide definitive final legal opinions, and assessments may evolve as situations develop or further facts become available.
IHL Alerts are prepared for and shared directly with key stakeholders to support their engagement with the specific context or issue concerned, e.g. diplomats, policymakers and humanitarian practitioners.
Potential topics for Alerts are identified through monitoring and analysis by the IHL Centre and Insecurity Insight. We also welcome suggestions from relevant stakeholders concerning emerging IHL risks or situations where early legal analysis could help inform preventive action or humanitarian diplomacy.
To suggest a potential topic for an IHL Alert, or if you are interested in receiving our IHL Alerts, please contact us at ihlalert@ihlcentre.org
The Stockholm Manual: A Practitioner’s Guide to Conducting IHL Assessments and Advocacy is an innovative practical tool developed by the IHL Centre to support humanitarian diplomacy and advocacy grounded in international humanitarian law.
Designed for both legal and non-legal audiences, the Manual provides step-by-step guidance to help users:
- Understand and apply relevant provisions of IHL in their operational context;
- Assess whether parties to conflict may be failing to comply with their legal obligations;
- Incorporate IHL-based analysis into advocacy, reporting, humanitarian action, and engagement strategies.
To request training, technical support, or further information regarding the Stockholm Manual, please contact us at sm@ihlcentre.org.
Through our IHL Advisory Service, we provide humanitarian practitioners, diplomats, journalists and others with rapid, free and confidential legal and policy advice on international humanitarian law, also known as the laws of armed conflict.
The Centre's Inclusive IHL: Closing the Gaps in Humanitarian Protection Report was developed with the Expert Group on Inclusion.
Drawing on expert analysis and evidence from multiple conflict contexts, the report highlights how failure to apply IHL inclusively, leads to concrete harm, and provides recommendations for armed actors and the humanitarian community.
The global launch webinar took place on 12 February 2026, featuring a high-level panels of inclusion experts.
The IHL Centre produces a wide range of practical resources, legal analyses, publications, briefing papers, reports, and technical guidance materials relating to international humanitarian law and civilian protection.
Our knowledge hub provides practical information on international humanitarian law, public international law, and human rights law.