By the time this Inside View finds its way to you, many of us will be preparing to leave for Morocco to attend the ICN conference, Building Excellence through Evidence and the meeting of ICN's Council of National Representatives (CNR), its highest governing body. My greatest hope is that, by that time, much of the current global political tensions will have eased. The past decade has been one of mounting tension. Throughout the world, populations have been impacted by national, regional and international conflict. No continent remains untouched. No matter how large or small the nation, the complexities of human relations, aspirations, and geopolitics are playing out. Every day nurses wrestle with the dangers, the work to be done, and the ethical dilemmas conflict brings. The evident costs of conflict are many – the loss of loved ones; the suffering of the injured; grieving for the dead; the break up of families; the anxiety of not knowing whether friends and family are safe, in danger, in custody, dying or dead; and the destruction of infrastructure and economies. Tensions, emotions, and beliefs divide family, friends, communities and nations. Today there are over 12 million refugees and 18 million displaced persons throughout the world. On a professional level nurses working in conflict zones deal with shortages of food, and lack of clean water, proper sanitation, and medical supplies. Nurses also deal with the ensuing loss of life and quality of life as people struggle with the diseases of malnutrition and displacement, and the dangers of conflict, and its physical and psychological aftermath. Nurses, called upon to help the masses, are at the same time in need of help. They face the dilemma of few supplies; who to treat first or at all; how and whether to tell victims and families the reality of their situation; and the need to treat those who may be seen as the enemy. They face the challenge of helping to build a sense of community in refugee camps, of helping to rebuild communities after conflict, and of establishing workable policies, programmes and institutions. Often victims themselves, nurses’ own needs may go unrecognized and unmet. ICN strongly opposes armed conflict, and is particularly concerned about the grave consequences for civilians, refugees and displaced persons, including the violation of basic human rights. At the same time ICN believes nurses have an important role to play in addressing the impact of emergency and long-term health needs of refugees, other civilian populations and wounded armed forces personnel. ICN further believes that support to the caregiver is vital when providing care in conflict zones. It urges both local and broader support to ensure access to treat those in need, and to supply needed resources and training, including ethical and legal aspects. ICN endorses the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1949 Geneva Convention as the basis for international humanitarian law and the principle instruments for defending human dignity in wartime, and calls for the application of these in all situations of armed conflict.1 Judith A. Oulton Chief Executive Officer International Council of Nurses