Participation of the IHFFC to the 5th Assembly of States Parties to the ICC [31/10/2006]
From 23 November to 1 December 2006, a delegation of the IHFFC will participate, in the capacity as observer, to the 5th Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, which will take place in The Hague. The IHFFC will be represented by its President, Prof. Ghalib Djilali and its first Vice President, Prof. Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza. The IHFFC had already been present during the United Nations Diplomatic Conference on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court in Rome from 15 June to 17 July 1998.
Read the general statement of Prof. Ghalib Djilali
· 18 October 2006
Statement by the IHFFC at the 6th Committee of the UN General Assembly in New York [18/10/2006]
An informal meeting of the 6th Committee dedicated to the IHFFC was held, with the support of the Chairman of the 6th Committee, H.E. Mr Juan Manuel Gomez Robledo of Mexico, following the general debate in the 6th Committee on the Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The IHFFC, represented by its Vice-President, Prof. Michael Bothe and two of its members, Ambassador Juan Antonio Yañez-Barnuevo and Colonel Hugo Corujo Sanseviero, took the opportunity to present itself and answer the questions of the delegations.
Read the statement of Prof. Michael Bothe
· 07 September 2006
ELECTIONS 2006: INFORMATION MEETING [07/09/2006]
In view of the upcoming Diplomatic Conference of 7 December 2006 in Bern for the election of the 15 members of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission, the Swiss Permanent Mission to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva will organize an Information Meeting on Tuesday, 12 September 2006, from 15.30 - 17.15 at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG) in Room 5.
The Program of the Information Meeting will be as follows:
Welcome and introduction by Ambassador Jürg Sreuli, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations office and to the other international organisations in Geneva
The President of the Commission, Dr. Ghalib Djilali, will inform about the legal basis, competence, function, profile of the members and activities of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission
The Secretary of the Commission, represented by Mrs Christine Schraner Burgener, Minister, Vice-Director of the Directorate of international law at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, will provide all necessary Information in view of the elections of 7 December 2006 .
This meeting will be followed by an aperitif offered by the Swiss Mission in Geneva.
· 02 August 2006
The Republic of Montenegro recognises the competence of the IHFFC [02/08/2006]
As of 2 August 2006, the Republic of Montenegro has deposited the Instrument of Accession to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the two Protocols Additional of 8 June 1977 relating to the Protection of the Victims of International and Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I and II). Together with the Instrument of Accession to Protocol I, the Republic of Montenegro has as well deposited with the Swiss Federal Council the declaration relating to its recognition of the competence of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission, in accordance with Article 90 of Protocol I.
The two Protocols as well as its declaration of recognition of the IHFFC will enter into force for the Republic of Montenegro six months after the deposit of the instruments of accession, i.e. on 2 February 2007.
The Republic of Montenegro will be the 69th State to have accepted the Competence of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.
· 14 May 2006
Side Event to the first session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva [14/05/2006]
The International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission will organize a Side-Event at the occasion of the first session of the Human Rights Council on Thursday, 22 June 2006, from 13.00 – 14.00 in the CICG in Geneva (3rd Floor, Room 5). The programme of the Side-Event will be as follows:
Professor Dr Michael Bothe, Vice-President of the Commission, will present the Report on the work of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.
Our Guest Speaker, Professor Dr. John Dugard, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, will share his experiences about Fact-Finding in the context of Palestine and the Congo and comment on the Report on the work of the Commission.
· 03 May 2006
Promotional Mission to South East Asia [03/05/2006]
Pursuing its efforts towards universalisation of its recognition by States Parties to the Geneva Conventions (article 90, Protocol I Additional), the Commission will undertake a promotional mission to South-East Asia from 7 to 17 May 2006. The delegation of the Commission will be composed of Mrs Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza, 1st Vice-President, Mr. Marcel Dubouloz, Member and Mrs Véronique Haller from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs for the Secretariat. The delegation has planned to visit the Kingdom of Thailand, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Kingdom of Cambodia and Brunei Darussalam and to meet representatives of the governments and the national red cross or red crescent societies. In some countries also representatives of the civil society.
Meeting of the delegation of the Commission with representatives of the government of Brunei Darussalam (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice and of Defense). In the middle, Prof. Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza (Poland), head of delegation of the Commission and Mr Alaihuddin Taha, Director of the Department of International Organisations at the MFA.
Mrs Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza, vice-president of the Commission with the Senior Colonel Nguyen Trong Dac from the Minstry of Defense.
The Head of the cabinet of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cambodia, Mrs. Sophea Eat, and the delegation of the Commission, composed, from left to right by Mr. Marcel Dubouloz, Ms. Véronique Haller and Mrs. Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza. The Ambassador of Poland in Phnom Penh, Mr. Ryszard Olszewski, accompanied (to the right) the delegation.
· 15 March 2006
Election of a new President and a new Vice-President [15/03/2006]
At the occasion of their annual meeting 2006 (15 March 2006), the Members of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission have elected their first Vice-President Professor Ghalib Djilali as their new President in replacement of Sir Kenneth Keith. Indeed Sir Kenneth Keith had to resign from his functions as a President and a Member of the Commission following his election as a Judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
The members have unanimously elected Professor Ghalib Djilali and look forward to a good and interesting collaboration with their new President.
The Members of the commission and the Secretariat also take this opportunity to announce that during the same annual meeting the Professor Michael Bothe has been elected as Vice-President. The Diplomatic Conference will take place on 7 December 2006 in Bern, in the building of the Universal Postal Union Bern.
Beginning of May, the 68 High Contracting Parties which have currently recognised the Commission have been invited to submit the name of their candidate to the elections.
· 09 December 2005
Promotional mission by the IHFFC to New York [09/12/2005]
A delegation of the IHFFC, including Sir Kenneth Keith (President), Dr. Ghalib Djilali (1st Vice-President), Dr. Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza (2nd Vice-President) and Ambassador Juan Antonio Yañez-Barnuevo, accompanied by a member of the Secretariat, Ms Véronique Haller, have undertaken a promotional mission to New York, US.
The delegation had the opportunity to hold interesting and constructive meetings with a number of interlocutors from the United Nations (including Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan, Under-Secretary-General Mr. Nicolas Michel, Assistant-Secretary-General Mr. Hédi Annabi, et al.), from Permanent missions (UK president of the Security Council, high representatives of Russia, China and more) and from the academic and NGO field. The objective of the mission was to promote the existence and the field of action of the Commission as well as an exchange of views on the role of the Commission. The feedback has been very positive and the Commission looks forward to continue its work.
The United Nation Secretary - General, M. Kofi Annan, surrounded by the delegation of the Commission, composed from left to right by Véronique Haller (FDFA), Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza (Vice-President), Sir Kenneth Keith (President), Ghalib Djilali (Vice-President) and Antonio Yañes-Barnuevo (membre) Meeting of the delegation of the Commission with representatives of the government of Brunei Darussalam (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice and of Defense). In the middle, Prof. Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza (Poland), head of delegation of the Commission and Mr Alaihuddin Taha, Director of the Department of International Organisations at the MFA.
Mrs Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza, vice-president of the Commission with the Senior Colonel Nguyen Trong Dac from the Minstry of Defense.
The Head of the cabinet of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cambodia, Mrs. Sophea Eat, and the delegation of the Commission, composed, from left to right by Mr. Marcel Dubouloz, Ms. Véronique Haller and Mrs. Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza. The Ambassador of Poland in Phnom Penh, Mr. Ryszard Olszewski, accompanied (to the right) the delegation.
Rt Hon Sir Kenneth Keith new member of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) [09/12/2005]
The members of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission and its Secretariat, would like to warmly congratulate Sir Kenneth Keith on his brilliant election as a member of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). After having been part of the New Zealand legal team that took cases before the ICJ, along with Australia, to challenge the legality of (French) nuclear tests in the Pacific, he has now been elevated to become the first New Zealander judge at the world's pre-eminent international court. It is an inestimable honour for the IHFFC to see its President called to take in such a high and prestige position. The members and the Secretariat of the Commission wishes Sir Kenneth Keith all the very best in The Hague.
· 31 August 2004
Japan recognises the competence of the IHFFC [31/08/2004]
Japan has deposited the Instrument of Accession to both of the Protocols Additional of 8 June 1977 to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of the Victims of International and Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I and II). Japan has as well deposited the declaration relating to its recognition of the competence of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission, based on Article 90 of Protocol I. Both Instruments of Accession and the Declaration were deposited with the Swiss Federal Council, in its capacity as depository of the Protocols, on 31 August 2004. The Protocols will enter into force for Japan six months after the deposit of the instruments of accession, i.e. on 28 February 2005.
Japan will be the 68th State to have accepted the Competence of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.
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