The signing of the Final Act, on Friday, 10 June 1977, at the Geneva International Conference Centre, marked the end of the fourth and last session of the Diplomatic Conference on the Reaffirmation and Development of International Humanitarian Law applicable in Armed Conflicts, which had been convened by the Swiss Federal Council four years previously.

Mr. Alexandre Hay, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, visited Damascus from 21 to 24 June and was received by Mr. Hafez el Assad, President of the Syrian Arab Republic. He also had talks with Mr. Abdel Halim Khaddam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Mustapha Tlass, Minister of Defence, Dr. Madani al-Khyami, Minister of Health, and Mr. Abdalla Al-Ahmar, Deputy Secretary-General of the Baath Party.

H.R.H. the Princess Lalla Malika, President of the Moroccan Red Crescent, visited international Red Cross institutions in Geneva from 15 to 18 June.

On the occasion of his visit to Geneva to take part in the International Labour Conference, HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan paid a courtesy visit to the ICRC, on 10 June.

In declarations dated 10 February 1977, received by the Swiss Government on 25 May 1977, the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen acceded to the four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 for the protection of victims of war.