The Fourth Geneva Convention (full tilte: Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War) is an international treaty signed in 1949. These treaties are known as Geneva Conventions, because they were originally signed in Geneva. The fourth geneva convention protects civilians in a war zone and prohibit forced migration in general.[1] Currently, 194 countries are party to this treaty of international law.[2]
In 1993, the United Nations Security Council adopted a report from the Secretary-General and a Commission of Experts; this report stated that the Geneva Conventions had passed into the body of customary international law.[3] If this is the case, the treaties are binding even to countries who did not sign them,whenever they engage in armed conflicts.