8 INTERNATIONAL LEGAL PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICT in peace or in war—and that international humanitarian law applies only in the context of armed conflicts, both bodies of law should be applied in a complementary and mutually reinforcing way in the context of armed conflict.5 Moreover, certain violations of international human rights and humanitarian law constitute crimes under international criminal law, so other bodies of law, such as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, could, therefore, also be applicable. International criminal law and criminal justice on war crimes implement international humanitarian law, but they also clarify and develop its rules. Similarly, other bodies of law, such as international refugee law and domestic law, will often also be applicable and may influence the type of human rights protections available. 1. International human rights law International human rights law is reflected, inter alia, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as in a number of international human rights treaties and in customary international law. In particular, the core universal human rights treaties are:  The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and its Optional Protocol;  The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols;  The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; 5 The High Commissioner has recalled that, over the years, the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and, more recently, the Human Rights Council expressed the view that, in situations of armed conflict, parties to the conflict had legally binding obligations concerning the rights of persons affected by the conflict. The Council also recognized the importance and urgency of these problems. In line with recent international jurisprudence and the practice of relevant treaty bodies, the Council acknowledged that human rights law and international humanitarian law were complementary and mutually reinforcing (A/HRC/11/31, para. 5).