The event consisted of an audience of members of the government of the Republic of Serbia, the diplomatic community, academia, and civil society. After the opening remarks of H.E. Mrs. Katarina Lalić Smajević, Assistant Minister for Multilateral Cooperation, Swiss Ambassador Anne Lugon-Moulin, Ms. Jelena Stijačić, Head of ICRC Regional Delegation in Belgrade, Prof. Dr. Dragan Radovanović, President of the Red Cross of Serbia, and Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Jerkov, Manager of the University Library in Belgrade, experts from the faculties of law, political science, and security studies from various Serbian universities held a panel discussion about the Geneva Conventions and their continued importance.
Ambassador Lugon-Moulin then opened the contemporary art exhibition “Dialogues on Humanity”, developed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Photo Elysée, museum for photography in Lausanne, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The exhibition consists of 29 photographs from Swiss and international photographers and directly or indirectly portray a link to the Humanitarian Principles.
In the remarks to the audience, Ambassador Lugon-Moulin highlighted Switzerland’s special relationship with the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law. The first Geneva Convention of 1864, which celebrates its 160th anniversary this year, was drafted at the initiative of the Swiss government. Switzerland subsequently convened all the Diplomatic Conferences which drew up the Geneva Conventions and their three Additional Protocols, which is why the field of IHL relating to the protection of persons is also known as “Geneva law”. Switzerland is the depositary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005. “This is a responsibility and privilege that remains a political priority for the government of Switzerland. This anniversary is an opportunity for all states to renew their commitment to the Geneva Conventions in the name of a common humanity. All states have an obligation to respect and to ensure respect for the Geneva Conventions in all circumstances”, said the ambassador.
