A photo exhibition, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, was declared open at the New Library Building on the 29th of November 2024. The exhibition is organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in collaboration with the University of Peradeniya.
The Geneva Conventions, adopted in 1949, represent the most significant attempt made by the international community to establish a legal framework that ensures the protection of people who are most vulnerable in times of war; i.e. civilians, prisoners of war, the wounded, and the sick. They are the cornerstone of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) which seeks to respect and protect the rights and dignity of the individual, even during armed conflict. In doing so, the Geneva Conventions give expression to a shared global responsibility, a collective effort made at ensuring that the horrors of war are mitigated by adherence to humanitarian principles.
Professor Terrance Madhujith, Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, Dr. (Mrs) Siri Walt, Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and Ms. Séverine Chappaz, Head of Delegation, ICRC (Colombo), spoke at the opening of the exhibition.
A panel discussion was also held on the theme: ‘International Humanitarian Law as a Common Heritage of States and Humanity’. The speakers at this discussion included Dr. Kalana Senaratne, Head of the Department of Law, and Ven. Mahawela Rathanapala Thero, Executive Member of the Supreme Sangha Council of the Malwatta Chapter of Siyam Maha Nikaya, and a visiting lecturer at the University of Peradeniya. The session was moderated by Ms. Prabodhini Munasinghe, Legal Advisor, ICRC (Colombo).
The event was coordinated by the Department of Law (Faculty of Arts), University of Peradeniya. Senior academics, including Deans of Faculties and Heads of Department, religious dignitaries, military officials, civil society activists and law students took part in the opening of the exhibition and the panel discussion.
The photo exhibition will be open on weekdays, from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm, until the 9th of December 2024, at the New Library Building of the University of Peradeniya.
