75th Anniversary of Geneva Conventions reaffirms relevance, calls for States to recommit

The event gathers more than 120 participants from the embassies of around 60 countries in China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Red Cross Society of China, public institutions, and thinktanks.

The 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions is marked while the world is witnessing over 120 ongoing armed conflicts, which are causing alarming humanitarian consequences, hindering development, and eroding the protective power of IHL. All States have agreed to these vital, fundamental rules. The Fourth Convention, which provides protections for civilians -- badly needed after the Second World War -- was described as a miracle by the ICRC’s president at that time. Yet, despite universal backing, challenges persist. Noncompliance remains a serious problem. Even when parties claim compliance, overly permissive interpretations of IHL hinder its effectiveness.

Balthasar Staehelin, Personal Envoy of the ICRC President to China and Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for East Asia, stressed that the IHL and the need for it to be fully respected is more important than ever, calling on States to reaffirm their commitment to IHL and make it a political priority.

“International humanitarian law cannot be merely the law on paper, it must be the law in action. States are the very architects of international humanitarian law, and they must demonstrate the political will and tenacity to promote and enforce it. You have all entrusted ICRC with a sacred mandate under the Geneva Conventions, we ask you to support us in fulfilling in faithfully. We call upon all States to strictly respect and ensure respect for IHL. We need your powerful voices to echo support for IHL in all fora,” said Staehelin.  

Switzerland is the depositary of the Geneva Conventions. Exactly 75 years ago to the day, delegations from all over the world met in Geneva, Switzerland and adopted the four Geneva Conventions.

“If we look around the world today, 75 years later, we note that we are still far from achieving the goal of ending the pains of armed conflict. However, this should not lead us to accept war as inevitable. We should still condemn war as a means prohibited by the UN Charter. And even more importantly, it should not make us give up on the commitment to ‘humanize war’ and lessen the misery it causes.” said Jürg Burri, Swiss Ambassador to China.

China is one of the first countries to accede to the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, and attaches great importance to compliance with the IHL. The China National Committee on IHL was established in 2007 to promote the dissemination and implementation of the IHL, with the Red Cross Society of China as its secretariat.

“The ever more complex global development and security situation has resulted in the upsurging of humanitarian needs. Dissemination and compliance with the IHL are more relevant than ever before.” said Wang Ping, Vice-President of the Red Cross Society of China. “As we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Red Cross Society of China would like to renew our commitment in upholding the humanitarian principles of the IHL and joining hands with ICRC and all the stakeholders in contributing to building a more peaceful, prosperous community with a shared future for humankind.” 

On the sidelines of the diplomatic reception, “Dialogues on Humanity”, a photo exhibition jointly developed by the ICRC, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Museum Photo Elysée in Lausanne was also staged, to draw attention and inspire discussions on humanitarian issues.