List of parties to the Geneva Conventions

The Geneva Conventions, which were most recently revised in 1949, consist of seven individual treaties which are open to ratification or accession by any sovereign state. They are: The Geneva Conventions First Geneva Convention Second Geneva Convention Third Geneva Convention Fourth Geneva Convention Additional Protocols Protocol I Protocol II Protocol III

The four 1949 Conventions have been ratified by 196 states, including all UN member states, both UN observers (the Holy See and the State of Palestine), as well as the Cook Islands. The Protocols have been ratified by 175, 170 and 80 states respectively. In addition, Article 90 of Protocol I states that "The High Contracting Parties may at the time of signing, ratifying or acceding to the Protocol, or at any other subsequent time, declare that they recognize ipso facto and without special agreement, in relation to any other High Contracting Party accepting the same obligation, the competence of the [International Fact-Finding] Commission to enquire into allegations by such other Party, as authorized by this Article." 77 states have made such a declaration.

Parties to the 1949 Conventions and Protocols I–III +List of state parties to the Geneva Conventions StateYear of ratification/accession/succession"S" indicates that the state has signed but has not ratified."—" indicates that the state has taken no action. NotesGC Protocol IProtocol IIProtocol IIIProt. IArt. 90Declaration195620092009——1957199319932008—196019891989—198919932025202520252025198419842019S—198619861986——195619861986201119961993199319932011—19581991199120091992195319821982200919821993————197519801980——197119861986——197219801980——196819901990——19541989198920111989Conventions I–IV and Protocols I–II ratified as the .195219861986201519871984198419842007—196119861986——1991————197619921983S1992199219921992S1992196819791979——19571992199220091993199119911991——1954198919892006199419611987198720162004197119931993S—195819981998——1963198419842021—19651990199020071990198419951995S1995196619841984——197019971997——19501991199120081991195619831983——Conventions I–IV ratified as the which was a signatory in 1956.

was declared by China to be covered by its ratification of Conventions I–IV and Protocols I–II from 20 December 1999, the same date Portugal renounced their obligations for the territory following the transfer of sovereignty over Macau to China. was declared by China to be covered by its ratification of Conventions I–IV and Protocols I–II from 1 July 1997, the same date the UK renounced their obligations for the territory following the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to China.196119931995S1996198519851985——196119822002—2002196719831983S—2002200220022011200219691983198320081999196119891989——19921992199220071992195419821999——196219791996200720021993199319932007199519511982198220071982All the treaties extended to the Faroe Islands and to Greenland.197819911991——198119961996——1958199419942009—1954197919792020—195219921992——1953197819782007—198619861986——2000————19931993199320082009196919941994S—1971200820082008—195519801980200919801951200119842009—196519801980——196619891989——1993199319932007—19541991199120091991195819781978S—19561989199320091998198119981998——1952198719872008—198419841984—1993197419861986——1968199819982009—195720062006S—195119851985——1965199519952006202519541989198920061991196519871987200619871950————1958————1957SS——19562010———196219991999S19991951——2007—19511986198620091986196419861986S—195320042004—2004195119791979——1992199219922009—1966199919992013—1989————19571988———196619821982S2004196719851985—20131992199219922019—195619801980—19981991199119912007—195119971997——19681994199420202010195419881988——195619781978——1950198919892006198919962000200020072000195319891989201519931993199319932008199319631992199220181993196819911991—20141962————199119911991——196519891989—2003196819891989S19892004————196219801980——197019821982——19521983—2008—199519951995——1993199319932008—19502000200020072007195819951995—1995200620062006—2007195620112011——198319832002——1992————199119941994—1994The United Nations Council for Namibia acceded to Conventions I–IV and Protocols I–II in 1983. Namibia succeeded to Conventions I-IV in 1991, and Protocols I-II in 1994.2006200620062012—1964——S—19541987198720061987Conventions I–IV and Protocols I–III have been extended to Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Caribbean Netherlands.The Conventions I–IV and Protocols I–III were originally extended to the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution into Aruba in 1986, and Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Caribbean Netherlands in 2010.19591988198820131988 is considered bound by New Zealand's ratification of Conventions I–IV in 1959 by the International Committee of the Red Cross on the basis of Niue's enactment of its own Geneva Conventions Act 1958. New Zealand declared that its ratification of Protocols I–II does not extend to the (which subsequently independently ratified the Protocols), and .1953199919992009—196419791979——196119881988——19511981198120061981197419841984——1951SS——199619961996——20142014201520152018The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) unilaterally declared itself bound by Conventions I–IV and Protocol I in 1982.In 1989, the PLO submitted a letter to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs which stated in part that the State of Palestine had decided to "adhere to the Four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and the two Protocols additional thereto." However, the Swiss Government, which acts as the depositary for the Conventions, responded by stating that it was "not in a position to decide whether this communication can be considered as an instrument of accession" due to "the incertainty [sic] within the international community as to the existence or non-existence of a State of Palestine." In 1990, the PLO submitted a "Memorandum on the accession of the State of Palestine to the four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949" to the depository and requested that the issue be reconsidered. However, the Swiss Government reiterated its prior conclusions.Following the United Nations General Assembly passing a resolution granting non-member observer state status to Palestine in November 2012, Palestine acceded to Conventions I-IV and Protocol I in April 2014. In January 2015 Palestine acceded to Protocols II and III.195619951995201219991976————196119901990200819981956198919892018—201219862006—1954199119912009199219611992199220141994197519882005—199119541990199020151995195419891989S1989Conventions I–IV and Protocols I and II ratified as the .Declaration under Article 90 of Protocol 1 withdrawn in 2019.196419841984—1993198619861986—2014198119821982——198119831983—2013198419841984——1953199419942007—197619961996——196319872001——196319851985——20012001200120102001Conventions I–IV and Protocols I–II ratified as the .198419841984—1992196519861986S—1973——2008—1993199319932007199519921992199220081992198119881988——1962————195219951995——2013201320132013—195219891989201019891959————195720062006——1976198519852013—197319951995——195319791979201419791950198219822006198219531983———199319931993—1997196219831983S—Conventions I–IV ratified as .1954————2003200520052011—196219841984S1991197820032003—2003196320012001—2001195719791979——1954——S—199219921992——1981————1964199119912008—19541990199020101990Conventions I–IV and Protocols I–II ratified as the .197219831983—199219571998199820091999Protocols I–III have been extended to all three Crown dependencies and to 13 of the 14 British Overseas Territories (excluding Gibraltar).1955SS2007—Signed in 1949. Ratified June 9, 1955. Protocols I–II not ratified19691985198520121990199319931993——198219851985——195619981998——19571981———Conventions I–IV ratified as the .Also ratified by the State of Vietnam in 1953 and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in 1973 prior to Vietnamese reunification.197019901990——Conventions I–IV and Protocols I–II ratified as .Conventions I–IV also ratified by in 1977 prior to Yemeni unification.196619951995——198319921992——TotalsRatified1961751708078Signed only03320N/A

+Authorities who deposited a unilateral declaration pursuant to Article 96, paragraph 3, of Protocol I Authority Year of declaration Conflict Notes Polisario Front2015Western Sahara conflict with MoroccoArticle 96.3 of Protocol I allows for an "authority representing a people engaged against a High Contracting Party in" a war of national liberation to make a unilateral declaration to apply the four Conventions and Protocol I with respect to that conflict. As a result of such a declaration, "the Conventions and this Protocol are equally binding upon all Parties to the conflict." This provision was invoked by the Polisario Front in 2015, and as of that date was the only national liberation movement to have had their declaration accepted by the international community, since in prior attempts the relevant state was not a party to Additional Protocol I (Morocco ratified the protocol in 2011).

Notes

Former states parties The following states were party to the Geneva Conventions I–IV, but their ratifications have not been recognised as applying to any succeeding state under international law, though all have ratified in their own right:

Czechoslovakia East Germany South Vietnam South Yemen Yugoslavia Zanzibar

Parties to the 1864 Geneva Convention The first ten articles of the First Geneva Convention were concluded in 1864. This was the original Geneva Convention. The following states were parties to the 1864 Geneva Convention.

StateGC 1864Year the state ratified or acceded to the 1864 version of the First Geneva Convention.Notes Argentina18791866 Baden1864Original signatory.1866 Represented by Joseph Théodore Dompierre in the negotiations1864Original signatory.18791906 Bulgaria18841896The Union of South Africa was recognized as the successor state of this ratification.1879 19041906188819071864Original signatory.190719071874 France1864Original signatory.19061865190319071866Original signatory. Holy See18681898 Persia18741864Original signatory.188619031888 Mecklenburg-Schwerin1895190518751864Original signatory.1898189718651907190718801866Original signatory.1865Original signatory. Romania187418671866 Serbia1876 Spain1864Original signatory.18641864Original signatory. Siam18951865188219001894 Württemberg1864Original signatory. Notes

References