TEHRAN – The International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) office in Iran in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs observed the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Geneva Conventions during a ceremony on Tuesday.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi; the representative of ICRC in Iran, Vincent Cassard; and the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Pirhossein Kolivand, attended the ceremony.

The participants discussed the achievements of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the experiences gained through implementing the conventions, and the challenges and the future of the conventions.

International humanitarian law (IHL), often seen as the guardian of humanity during conflicts, is embedded within the Geneva Conventions. 

Adopted over a series of treaties between 1864 and 1949, these four core conventions regulate the conduct of armed conflict and strive to mitigate its effects. Over time, three additional protocols have been added to further bolster these treaties. Anyone who violates any of the more than 600 articles designed to protect war victims, is considered to have committed a war crime.

ICRC underscores boosting ties with IRCS

On January 13, Cassard in a meeting with Razieh Alishvandi, the director of the IRCS for international affairs, highlighted the need for expanding cooperation in humanitarian sectors, mainly rehabilitation and mental health.

“The cooperation in rehabilitation and mental health fields has progressed well so far, and we believe that it will provide suitable and effective platforms for enhanced collaborations between the two sides,” IRNA quoted Cassard as saying. 

“We are also ready to expand collaborations in family reunification; it is one of our key priorities, which can play an effective role in alleviating the pain of families affected by crises,” he added.

Referring to the joint courses held on fundamentals of the ICRC and IRCS, Cassard said, “We look forward to similar educational cooperation in the future.”

MT/MG