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Treaties are traditionally negotiated or revised within diplomatic conferences of plenipotentiaries specifically convened for that purpose. The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are no exception. Those core instruments of international humanitarian law have been negotiated and adopted during diplomatic conferences held in Geneva. Interestingly, it is not the ICRC that convened those meetings, but the Swiss Federal Council:The Library holds the exhaustive collection of the preparatory works and official records relating to the adoption of the Geneva Conventions of 1864, 1906, 1929 and 1949 and of the Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005:
“It is not the ICRC which convenes diplomatic conferences; it is more orthodox if this is done by a public authority. From the beginning it has been the Swiss Government, true to its tradition and to the support it has always given to the Red Cross, a fine embodiment of its ideal of neutrality and peace.”
— Jean S. Pictet
1864: Diplomatic Conference for the purpose of adopting a convention for the amelioration of the condition of the wounded in armies in the field
08.08.1864 – 22.08.1864, Geneva, Switzerland
Full text of the Convention and list of States parties or signatories
Official documents (only available in French)
Commentary (only available in French)
Preparatory documents (only available in French)
- Compte rendu de la Conférence internationale réunie à Genève les 26, 27, 28 et 29 octobre 1863 pour étudier les moyens de pourvoir à l’insuffisance du service sanitaire dans les armées en campagne
- Secours aux blessés : communication du Comité international faisant suite au compte rendu de la Conférence internationale de Genève
1868: Diplomatic Conference to clarify some provisions of the Geneva Convention of 1864 and, particularly, to extend to naval forces the advantages of this Convention
20.10.1868, Geneva, Switzerland
Full text of the Convention and lists of States parties or signatories
Official documents (only available in French)
Note
The Additional Articles of 1868 were adopted but they failed to secure any ratifications and never entered into force. Nevertheless, in the Franco-German War of 1870-71 and in the Spanish-American War of 1898 the parties agreed to observe their provisions. It was not before the First Hague Peace Conference of 1899 that a Convention for the Adaptation to Maritime Warfare of the Principles of the Geneva Convention was finally adopted.
Source: The laws of armed conflicts : a collection of conventions, resolutions and other documents / ed. by Dietrich Schindler and Jiri Toman. – 4th rev. and completed edition – Leiden ; Boston : M. Nijhoff, 2004, p. 369
1906: Conference for the revision of the Geneva Convention of 1864
11.06.1906 – 06.07.1906, Geneva, Switzerland
Full text of the Convention and list of States parties or signatories
Official documents (only available in French)
- Actes de la conférence de révision réunie à Genève du 11 juin au 6 juillet 1906 : Convention de Genève
- Including the following commentary : Rapport présenté à la conférence plénière au nom du comité de rédaction par Louis Renault
Preparatory documents (only available in French)
1929: Diplomatic Conference with a view to the revision of the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in the Field of 6 July 1906, and the elaboration of a Code relating to the Prisoners of War
01.07.1929 – 27.07.1929, Geneva, Switzerland
Full text of the Conventions and lists of States parties or signatories
- Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in the Field — Geneva, 27 July 1929
- Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War — Geneva, 27 July 1929
Commentary (Only available in French)
- La Convention de Genève du 27 juillet 1929 : Commentaire
- Code des prisonniers de guerre : commentaire de la convention du 27 juillet 1929 relative au traitement des prisonniers de guerre
Official documents (Only available in French)
- Actes de la conférence diplomatique convoquée par le Conseil fédéral suisse pour la révision de la Convention du 6 juillet 1906 pour l’amélioration du sort des blessés et malades dans les armées en campagne et pour l’élaboration d’une convention relative au traitement des prisonniers de guerre et réunie à Genève du 1er au 27 juillet 1929
- Rapport présenté à la Conférence diplomatique au nom de la 1ère Commission chargée de la révision de la Convention de Genève de 1906 par Paul Demolder
- Rapport présenté à la Conférence diplomatique au nom de la 2e Commission chargée de l’élaboration du Code des prisonniers de guerre par Georges Werner
- Procès-verbaux de la sous-commission de la Commission I, Procès-verbaux de la sous-commission I (juridique et pénale) de la Commission II (Code des prisonniers de guerre), Procès-verbaux de la sous-commission II (administrative et sanitaire) de la Commission II (Code des prisonniers de guerre)
Preparatory documents (Only available in French)
1949: Diplomatic Conference for the establishment of international conventions for the protection of war victims
21.04.1949 – 12.08.1949, Geneva, Switzerland
Full text of the conventions, original and updated commentaries, up-to-date lists of States parties or signatories
- Geneva Convention (I) for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field — Geneva, 12 August 1949
- Geneva Convention (II) for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked of Armed Forces at Sea — Geneva, 12.August 1949
- Geneva Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War — Geneva, 12 August 1949
- Geneva Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War — Geneva,12 August 1949
Commentaries
- Geneva Convention (I)
- Geneva Convention (II)
- Geneva Convention (III)
- Geneva Convention (IV)
Official documents
- Final record of the Diplomatic Conference of Geneva of 1949 (also available in French)
- Sténogrammes (only available in French)
Preparatory documents
Drafting history of the 1949 Geneva Conventions
1974-1977: Diplomatic conference on the reaffirmation and development of international humanitarian law applicable in armed conflicts
1st session: 20.02.1974 – 29.03.1974, Geneva, Switzerland
2nd session: 03.02.1975 – 18.04.1975, Geneva, Switzerland
3rd session: 21.04.1976 – 11.06.1976, Geneva, Switzerland
4th session: 17.03.1977 – 10.06.1977, Geneva, Switzerland
Full text of the protocols, commentary of 1987 and up-to-date lists of States parties or signatories
- Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I) — Geneva, 8 June 1977
- Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II) — Geneva, 8 June 1977
Commentary
- Commentary on the Additional Protocols of 8 June 1977 to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 (also available in French and Spanish)
- Commentary on Annex I to Protocol I (also available in French and Spanish)
- Commentary on Annex I to Protocol I as amended in 1993 (only available in French)
Official documents
- Official records of the diplomatic conference on the reaffirmation and development of international humanitarian law applicable in armed conflicts, Geneva, 1974 – 1977
(also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish)
Preparatory documents
Drafting history of the 1977 Additional Protocols
2005: Diplomatic Conference on the adoption of a third Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the adoption of an additional distinctive emblem
05.12.2005 – 08.12.2005, Geneva, Switzerland
Full text of the protocol, commentary of 2007 and up-to-date lists of States parties or signatories
Commentary
- Commentary on the protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the adoption of an additional distinctive emblem (Protocol III) (also available in Arabic, French, Russian and Spanish)
Official documents (including preparatory documents)
- Official documents: Diplomatic Conference on the adoption of a Third protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the adoption of an additional distinctive emblem (Protocol III), 5-8 December 2005, Geneva, Switzerland (also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish)
Drafting history of the 2005 Additional Protocol
Comments