Election of Prof. Lucius Caflisch as chairman of the International Law Commission

The International Law Commission was established shortly after the United Nations was founded. It convenes in Geneva and is composed of 34 independent members elected for five years. Its mandate is to contribute to the continual development and codification of international law. The preparatory work of most of the major multilateral conventions has been carried out by the International Law Commission.  

Prof. Lucius Caflisch has been a member of the Commission since 2006. On 17 November 2011, he was re-elected by the UN General Assembly for a second term. From 1998 to 2006, he was a judge for the Principality of Liechtenstein at the European Court of Human Rights. Previously, he was legal advisor to the FDFA and represented Switzerland at many important international negotiations. Prof. Caflisch taught international law at a number of universities, including the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, where he was dean from 1984 to 1990.

Although in the past Switzerland has produced some internationally renowned experts in international law, Prof. Caflisch is the first Swiss citizen to become a member of the International Law Commission. Switzerland especially welcomes his election to the chair of the Commission for the current session. 

Address for enquiries:

Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: +41 58 462 31 53
Fax: +41 58 464 90 47
E-Mail: info@eda.admin.ch

Publisher:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs