Since 1946, several organizations have tracked the number of armed conflicts and their human toll world-wide.
Vulnerable populations, particularly women, in developing countries face hardship with or without armed conflicts.
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Even as humanitarian law has been refined, many armed conflicts have been waged as indiscriminately as ever.
He has been sanctioned by the United Nations for alleged arms trafficking activity and support of armed conflicts in Africa.
The Human Security Centre of the University of British Columbia has been keeping track of armed conflicts since World War II.
Today there are some 35 armed conflicts going on around the world.
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Backers of a strong court say it must, because so many armed conflicts today, such as those in Bosnia and Rwanda, are internal.
The situation of most, KENYA remains very critical due to the socio-economic, cultural, traditional and development circumstances, natural disasters, armed conflicts, exploitation and hunger.
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The World Conference on Human Rights is deeply concerned about violations of human rights during armed conflicts, affecting the civilian population, especially women, children, the elderly and the disabled.
Mr Bass's compelling account of earlier attempts to apply law in the aftermath of armed conflicts offers a useful historical setting for the current debates about a permanent court.
Common Article 3 of the conventions, which relates to "non-international armed conflicts" -- the most common form of conflict in the world today -- is applicable to the situation in Syria.
Today there are 26 active armed conflicts going on in the world, this meeting comes at a time when the Arab countries are witnessing change and turmoil, a time when dialogue and resolve are needed.
"Viktor Bout has been indicted in the United States, but his alleged arms trafficking activity and support of armed conflicts in Africa has been a cause of concern around the world, " said US Attorney General Holder in a statement.
The Conference therefore calls upon States and all parties to armed conflicts strictly to observe international humanitarian law, as set forth in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and other rules and principles of international law, as well as minimum standards for protection of human rights, as laid down in international conventions.
"Recent Mexican army and police force conflicts with heavily armed narcotics cartels have escalated to levels equivalent to military small-unit combat and have included use of machine guns and fragmentation grenades, " said the warning issued last month.
Then there are the internal conflicts in South Sudan - armed rebellions and clashes over cattle which have killed more than 1, 500 people this year.
An even more acute problem looms with respect to the ability of tomorrow's armed forces to fight and prevail in future conflicts.
Given the relatively low costs of drones -- already far cheaper than the costs of a fighter jet and of training a fighter jet pilot -- armed drones will play a key role in future conflicts.
Estimates suggest that as many as 300, 000 child soldiers are active in conflicts around the world. 40% of armed forces (including national armies, militias, gangs, terrorist organizations and resistance forces) in the world use children.
Furthermore, lest anyone simplistically respond that Africans just emerging from conflicts need peacebuilding, not the accoutrements of armed security, it is worth recalling that acclaimed development economist Paul Collier and his colleague Anke Hoeffler found in their study on Military Expenditure in Post-Conflict Society that in the first five years after a peace agreement a given country's estimated risk of renewed conflict is about 44 percent.
The international community does not need to wait for conflicts to end for children to be removed from armed organizations.
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