The International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) held its 2015 annual meeting from 16 to 18 March in Geneva.
The members of the IHFFC (from the left to the right side):
First row: Vice-President Prof. Shuichi Furuya (Japan), First Vice-President Dr. Thilo Marauhn (Germany), President Dr. Gisela Perren-Klingler (Switzerland), Vice-President Prof. Jeannette Irigoin Barrenne (Chile), Vice-President Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Al Kamali (United Arab Emirates)
Last row: Col. Hugo C. Corujo Sanseviero (Uruguay), Dr. Youssef Mehdi (Algeria), Dr. Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza (Poland), Dr. Justinas Žilinskas (Lithuania), Ambassador Susana M. Ruiz Cerutti (Argentina), Prof. Charles Garraway (United Kingdom), Prof. Flavia Lattanzi (Italy), Prof. Stelios Perrakis (Greece), Prof. Eric David (Belgium), Capt. Valery S. Knyazev (Russian Federation)
Due to the expiration of the three-year term the elections of the President, the First Vice-President and three Vice-Presidents were held according to Rule No. 6 of the Rules of the IHFFC.
Dr. Gisela Perren-Klinger (Switzerland) was in the secret ballot re-elected with majority as President of the Commission. Prof. Thilo MARAUHN (Germany) was elected as the new First Vice-President, succeeding Prof. Charles Garraway from United Kingdom. Dr. Mohamed M. AL KAMALI (United Arab Emirates) was re-elected for Vice-President together with Prof. Jeannette IRIGOIN BARRENNE (Chile) and Prof. Shuichi FURUYA (Japan). The newly composited Bureau is looking forward to develop further the Commissions strategy and programme of work for the year 2015.
The Commission thanked Prof. Stelios Perrakis (Greece), Col. Hugo Corujo Sanseviero (Uruguay) and Prof. Charles Garraway (UK) for their valuable and much appreciated work for the Bureau.
Furthermore, the IHFFC heard reports from individual members who notable represented the Commission at the 69th UN General Assembly, the 10th meeting of Arab Governments Experts on IHL and at the 13th Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute. The Commission further took note of a number of bilateral meetings with national commissions on IHL (notably with the Argentinian and the Moroccan Commission) and States with a view to promote the recognition of the Commission and to invite States to make the respective declaration under Article 90 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. In addition, the Commission was present at a number of seminars of experts in international humanitarian law (IHL), e.g. San Remo Round Table on Current Issues of IHL and Augusto Ramirez Ocampo Course on IHL held in Bogotà. The Commission discussed its strategy and programme of work for the year 2015, deciding, inter alia, that it will continue its effort towards achieving a greater geographical balance with regards to recognition of the Commission's competence to investigate situations of alleged violations IHL.
The Commission invited as guest speaker Prof. Françoise Hampson, who lectured about the differences in fact-finding between human rights and humanitarian law. Swiss Amb. François Voeffray and Jelena Peijic from the ICRC presented the process of the joint initiative of Switzerland and the ICRC on Strengthening Compliance with IHL.
On Monday 16 March, the Commission hosted a well-attended reception for States parties that have ratified the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions. Amb. Alexandre Fasel, Head of the Mission of Switzerland to the UN in Geneva, welcomed the States representatives and Dr. Gisela Perren-Klingler, President of the Commission, thanked for their support and stressed the role of the Commission as an independent body well-suited to investigate alleged violations of IHL.
The annual meeting 2016 will be held in the last week of February. The exact date will be communicated in due course.
