Division I of the Directorate of International Law houses three sections specialising in:
- human rights and counterterrorism
- international humanitarian law and international criminal justice
- diplomatic and consular law
The Division also handles matters in the following areas of expertise, where appropriate together with other units of the FDFA and Federal Administration:
- human rights, the ratification of human rights instruments and reporting to the relevant United Nations committees
- combating terrorism (foreign policy coordination), human rights compliance and international humanitarian law in counterterrorism
- legal status of diplomatic and consular representations and their staff (foreign representations in Switzerland and Swiss representations abroad: embassies, consulates and permanent missions to the international organisations in Geneva)
- legal status of international organisations and their staff in Switzerland, and of international conferences organised in Switzerland
- international criminal justice, in particular in connection with the International Criminal Court
- international humanitarian law, initiatives to clarify or strengthen this body of law to ensure that it meets the challenges of contemporary armed conflicts
- Secretariat of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC)
