The ILC's Draft Principles on Environmental Protection in Armed Conflict: Legal and Humanitarian Perspectives.

This article critically examines the International Law Commission’s (ILC) Draft Principles on Environmental Protection in Armed Conflict, focusing on their legal and humanitarian implications. It highlights how armed conflicts cause extensive environmental degradation—such as deforestation, water contamination, and biodiversity loss—that disproportionately affects vulnerable populations and exacerbates human rights violations related to health, food security, and access to clean water. The study analyses the interplay of international humanitarian, environmental, and human rights law underpinning the ILC’s 28 draft principles, noting significant enforcement and compliance challenges, especially due to the lack of binding mechanisms and limited state participation in key treaties. Drawing on case studies including the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Sahel, the article underscores the need for stronger international legal frameworks, enhanced accountability measures (such as a proposed International Environmental Court), and integration of environmental protection into conflict resolution and post-conflict recovery to safeguard ecosystems and human rights in war-affected regions.