{"id":2732,"date":"2025-09-16T21:03:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/?page_id=2732"},"modified":"2025-09-16T21:04:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:04:26","slug":"2732-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/?page_id=2732","title":{"rendered":"The Common Philosophical Foundations of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>DOI: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.46340\/eppd.2025.12.4.1\">10.46340\/eppd.2025.12.4.1<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Volodymyr Lysyk<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>PhD in Law, Department of International Law, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/2025-12-4\/03.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2167\" src=\"http:\/\/eppd13.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/icon72-pdf-eppd.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" data-id=\"2167\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>How to cite: <\/em><\/strong>Lysyk, V. (2025). The Common Philosophical Foundations of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law. <em>Evropsk\u00fd politick\u00fd a pr\u00e1vn\u00ed diskurz, 12, 4,<\/em> 5-11. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.46340\/eppd.2025.12.4.1\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.46340\/eppd.2025.12.4.1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This article explores the relationship between international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL), arguing that their current convergence reflects a return to shared philosophical and historical roots. It traces the principles of humanity and respect for human dignity to ancient moral, religious, and philosophical traditions, including early norms in ancient civilizations, Christian and Islamic thought, and Stoic philosophy. The article emphasizes that the true historical breakthrough was not the creation of these principles but their gradual extension from limited groups to a universal standard, forming the basis of modern international law.<\/p>\n<p>It then examines how these ethical ideas evolved into a systematic legal framework during the Enlightenment, shaped by thinkers such as Hugo Grotius, Emmerich de Vattel, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and later reflected in key documents like the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. In the nineteenth century, their codification in the Lieber Code and the Geneva and Hague Conventions marked the formal embedding of humanitarian and human rights principles in international law.<\/p>\n<p>The article also discusses the artificial division of IHL and IHRL in the mid-twentieth century, viewing it as a result of Cold War politics rather than a fundamental contradiction. Today, this divide is narrowing, as international courts such as the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights increasingly interpret the two regimes in harmony.<\/p>\n<p>Recognizing their common origins, the article concludes, is essential for applying IHL and IHRL in a complementary way, reinforcing protection, filling legal gaps, and advancing their shared purpose: safeguarding human dignity in all circumstances.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Keywords:<\/strong><\/em> International Humanitarian Law, IHL, International Human Rights Law, IHRL, human dignity, principle of humanity, philosophical foundations, convergence, lex specialis, Martens Clause, international courts.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">International Court of Justice (2005). <em>Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/em><em> v. Uganda)<\/em>. 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Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">ICRC (1868). <em>Declaration Renouncing the Use, in Time of War, of Explosive Projectiles Under 400 Grammes Weight<\/em>.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/ihl-databases.icrc.org\/en\/ihl-treaties\/st-petersburg-decl-1868\">https:\/\/ihl-databases.icrc.org\/en\/ihl-treaties\/st-petersburg-decl-1868<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (1776). <em>The Declaration of Independence<\/em>.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/founding-docs\/declaration-transcript\">https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/founding-docs\/declaration-transcript<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Ticehurst, R. (1997). The Martens Clause and the Laws of Armed Conflict. <em>International Review of the Red Cross<\/em>, <em>37(317)<\/em>, 125-134. doi:10.1017\/S002086040008503X<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">United Nations (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Resolution 217 A). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/development\/desa\/population\/migration\/generalassembly\/docs\/globalcompact\/A_RES_217(III).pdf\">https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/development\/desa\/population\/migration\/generalassembly\/docs\/globalcompact\/ A_RES_217(III).pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Weeramantry, C. G. (1997). J<em>ustice Without Frontiers: Furthering Human Rights<\/em>. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, <em>1<\/em>.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/brill.com\/display\/title\/10297\">https:\/\/brill.com\/display\/title\/10297<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOI: 10.46340\/eppd.2025.12.4.1 Volodymyr Lysyk PhD in Law, Department of International Law, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine How to cite: Lysyk, V. (2025). The Common Philosophical Foundations of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law. Evropsk\u00fd politick\u00fd a pr\u00e1vn\u00ed diskurz, 12, 4, 5-11. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.46340\/eppd.2025.12.4.1 &nbsp; Abstract This article&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/?page_id=2732\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2730,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2732","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2732"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2735,"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2732\/revisions\/2735"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}