1949 Geneva Conventions

The Geneva Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (French: Convention relative à la protection des personnes civiles en temps de guerre), more commonly referred to as the Fourth Geneva Convention or Geneva Convention IV (abbreviated as GCIV), is one of the four treaties of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. It was adopted on 12 August 1949, and came into force in October 1950. While the first three 1949 conventions dealt with combatants, Geneva Convention IV was the first to deal with humanitarian protections for civilians during war. GCIV defines humanitarian protections for civilians. As of 2010 there were 196 countries party to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, including this and the three other treaties.