Final Record of the Diplomatic Conference of Geneva of 1949 Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of International Conventions for the Protection of War Victims Geneva, 21 April - 12 August 1949

The Diplomatic Conference of Geneva of 1949—frequently referred to as the Fourth Geneva Convention—is the only Geneva Convention that addresses the protection of civilians in times of war. The First, Second, and Third Geneva Conventions of 1949 are concerned with members of armed forces, and all three were revisions of international agreements that existed prior to 1949. Before World War II, no international agreement provided effective protection for civilians in wartime situations. Events that occurred as part of that war prompted the International Committee of the Red Cross, governments, and other entities to establish such an agreement as one component of international humanitarian law.

The Final Record of the Diplomatic Conference of Geneva of 1949 documents the Convention’s meeting, personnel, and resulting agreement in three volumes. The first volume contains the final and draft texts of the international conventions for the protection of war victims, conference resolutions, and texts of the other Geneva Conventions and of the Hague Convention of 1907. The second volume, which is divided into two books, includes records for all meetings held during the Diplomatic Conference. The third volume contains annexes for all of the Geneva Conventions. These volumes also contain reference tables, lists of attendees, and other information from the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Final Record has been reproduced as fully searchable text for this site with the permission of the Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada of the International Committee of the Red Cross. (Library of Congress Call Number JX5141 .A1 1949d; OCLC Number 79324464.)

Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 or higher is required to read these full text volumes. If you do not have this software on your PC, go to http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html to download a free copy of the reader.

	- final and draft texts, resolutions; texts of other Geneva and Hague Conventions
	- minutes of plenary meetings, summary records, reports . . .
	- summary records of meetings, reports to plenary assembly . . .
	- annexes for all of the Geneva Conventions, index of speakers . . .