Department of international law, human rights and international humanitarian law

The department of international law, human rights and international humanitarian law comprises three sections:

• international law
• human rights and international humanitarian law
• diplomatic and consular law.

The department is particularly concerned with the following areas, in conjunction with other agencies within the Federal Department for Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the federal administration where appropriate:

• neutrality, international security and peaceful conflict resolution
• combating terrorism (coordination in foreign policy), respecting human rights and international humanitarian law in the fight against terrorism
• combating corruption and money laundering (dictators’ assets)
• international legal assistance and cooperation in areas such as police and customs
• protecting Swiss investments abroad
• migration and the legal status of foreigners in Switzerland
• aspects of European Union (EU) law and of the bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU (institutional aspects and implementation)
• participating in the negotiation, conclusion and implementation of international treaties
• the legal status of foreign legations in Switzerland and their employees (embassies, consulates and permanent missions to international organizations in Geneva)
• the legal status of international organizations and other international institutions in Switzerland, and of Swiss legations abroad
• the law of international organizations
• human rights, particularly the ratification of agreements and the preparations of reports for committees of the United Nations (UN) on their implementation in Switzerland
• international humanitarian law, particularly Switzerland’s role as depositary of the Geneva Conventions, including Swiss programmes connected with the Partnership for Peace
• providing the secretariat of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.