The fundamental principles that underlie the Geneva Conventions - the distinction between combatants and non-combatants; the proportionality principle; the precautionary principle, and so on - primarily concern belligerents' conduct.[...] And the critical ones, to our mind, are impartiality and the principle of humanity itself: that gives the humanitarian imperative[...]But impartiality is the governing principle, I think, as far as humanitarian action is concerned, and is directly analogous to the non-discrimination principle in human rights theory.