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Geneva Conventions conference on Middle East scheduled for March 2025

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The conference on the Middle East of the 196 States party to the Geneva Conventions, organised by Switzerland, will take place in Geneva in March.

Ambassador Franz Perrez has been appointed head of the organisation, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) announced on Thursday.

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Last September, the UN General Assembly mandated Switzerland, the depositary of the Geneva Conventions, to organise this meeting by the end of March. The meeting will be the fourth of its kind in around 25 years.

In addition to the head of the FDFA’s Directorate of Public International Law, the current Swiss ambassador to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan will have an important role to play in the run-up to the conference. Salman Bal has been appointed emissary to consult with the other states on their expectations.

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A few weeks ago, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said in New York that this meeting would be “technical at the diplomatic level”. It will not result in binding decisions, but will reaffirm the rules of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the obligations of the States parties.

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