The Second Geneva Convention, for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions

Geneva Conventions

The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...

. It was first adopted in 1906, after the Russo-Japanese war

Russo-Japanese War

The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...

, but was significantly updated in 1929 and again in 1949. It adapts the main protections of the First Geneva Convention

First Geneva Convention

The First Geneva Convention, for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field, is one of four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It defines "the basis on which rest the rules of international law for the protection of the victims of armed conflicts." It was first adopted...

 to combat at sea.

Summary of Provisions

The treaty is a lengthy document consisting of 63 articles. The most essential provisions of the treaty are:

• Articles 12 and 18 requires all parties to protect and care for the wounded, sick, and shipwrecked.
• Article 21 allows appeals to be made to neutral vessels to help collect and care for the wounded, sick, and shipwrecked. The neutral vessels cannot be captured.
• Articles 36 and 37 protect religious and medical personnel serving on a combat ship.
• Article 22 states that hospital ships cannot be used for any military purpose, and owing to their humanitarian mission, they cannot be attacked or captured.
• Article 14 clarifies that although a warship cannot capture a hospital ship's medical staff, it can hold the wounded, sick, and shipwrecked as prisoners of war.

For a detailed discussion of each article of the treaty, see the original text and the commentary. There are currently 194 countries party to the 1949 Geneva Conventions

Geneva Conventions

The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...

, including this second treaty but also including the other three.

External links

• Final Act of the Second Peace Conference, The Hague, 18 October 1907