The Geneva Conventions are 70 years old

GVA2 organized a dinner-debate to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the July 28, 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, which provided a legal framework for the right of asylum.

We had the privilege to welcome Mr. Laurent Sauveur, director of the Foundation for the ICRC. Created in 1931, the Foundation supports the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in its mission to protect belligerents and civilian populations in times of war. Mr. Sauveur briefly presented the history and goals of the ICRC, the genesis of the Foundation as well as its activities, its anchorage in Geneva, its future perspectives and its relations with the other NGOs present in Geneva.

We also had the pleasure to listen to Mr. Daniel Engels, President of the Foundation Board of “Switzerland for UNHCR” and Mrs. Cristina Davies, Director of this new foundation. Mr. Engels told us about the conditions under which the Conventions were created, their evolution until today and the role of the UNHCR headquarters in Geneva as well as its relations with the other international institutions represented there. Ms. Christina Davies, for her part, returned to the missions and interactions of this foundation with the local authorities and the Canton of Geneva.

Finally, Mrs. Béatrice Ferrari, Director of International Affairs (DAI) of the Canton of Geneva, detailed the action of the Geneva authorities in favor of international solidarity, the establishment of these structures in our city and their activities to help respect the Conventions.