Press Communiqué of the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions

GENEVA, 8 December 2021 - The 55^th round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) took place in the Palais des Nations on 7 and 8 December 2021, with requisite COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures in place. As mandated by the six-point agreement of 2008, the GID process continues to serve as the primary venue in which the consequences of conflict are addressed and other important issues are discussed.

The 55^th round began with meetings to address issues of importance to conflict affected populations, including freedom of movement and related issues, as well as an expert exchange between medical professionals focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the course of two days, participants met in the GID’s two parallel working groups focused on security and humanitarian issues, respectively. The overall security situation on the ground was assessed as relatively stable. Discussions once again addressed the GID’s core agenda item of non-use of force and international security arrangements. Participants engaged in frank exchanges on outstanding issues such as freedom of movement, documentation, and travel abroad, detentions, unresolved missing persons cases, and specific security concerns in localised areas.

However, despite constructive engagement on a variety of humanitarian issues, a discussion on the core issue of internally displaced persons and refugees could not take place due to a walkout by some participants.

The Co-Chairs welcomed the continued function of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Ergneti, and took note of positive signals on the potential resumption of the Gali IPRM.

The Co-Chairs again called on all participants to increase efforts to build trust and confidence and to address all elements of comprehensive and human security, including by engaging constructively in technical-level discussions, as well as with international humanitarian and human rights organisations.

The participants agreed to hold their next meeting in Geneva on 29 and 30 March 2022.