On 13 March 2019, Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), launched the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions programme at the Graduate Institute. During his public lecture, “Changing World, Unchanged Protection”, he reflected on the successes and challenges in respecting international humanitarian law with regard to the Conventions, which were created to protect people thus preserving the core of common humanity in the midst of conflict.

“For me, this discussion is not about anniversaries or debates on legal phrasing; it is about protecting people from the worst of the wars which rage today”, said Mr Maurer. “It is about laws that assert that as long as conflict remains a reality, there also must be a limit to suffering”.

Annyssa Bellal, Senior Research Fellow at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights – a joint centre between the Graduate Institute and the University of Geneva – moderated the event.  “We should remember that humanitarian law is also respected and not only violated”, said Ms Bellal in conclusion. “What we need, then, is better enforcement of the norms, or in other words, we need to put words into action”.

This joint event between the Graduate Institute and the ICRC is the third public lecture delivered by the President of the ICRC pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding signed in April 2017.

Read Peter Maurer’s full speech on “Changing World, Unchanged Protection”.

Photo: Olivier Chamard Photography.