On a more positive note, many of these violations are no loner going unnoticed,' Kellenberger said.

'In recent years, phenomena such as terrorism and asymmetric warfare' have increased the complexity of armed conflicts putting the 'relevance of IHL' to scrutiny, the ICRC president said.

'There is no doubt that existing rules of IHL remain relevant and that achieving improved compliance with the law continues to be the main challenge. The ICRC has to examine all possible means of enhancing compliance,' he said.

It was crucial to clarify certain IHL concepts and strengthen certain rules, he said.

'It would also be desirable to further develop certain aspects of the law, particularly those related to non-international armed conflicts.'

The organisation commissioned an opinion poll on what people in war-torn countries think about the conventions. The survey interviewed 4,000 people in Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Georgia, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia and the Philippines. The study revealed that slightly less than half of the interviewed people knew such treaties existed.