Second Geneva Convention


The Second Geneva Convention, officially the 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. The Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea was first adopted in 1949, replacing the Hague Convention of 1907. It adapts the main protective regime of the First Geneva Convention 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 require all parties to protect and care for the wounded, sick, and shipwrecked.
  • 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.
  • 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.
For a detailed discussion of each article of the treaty, see the original text and the commentary. There are currently 196 countries party to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, including this second treaty but also including the other three.