Mr Maurice Aubert has a doctorate in law from Geneva University. He held a legal position in a Geneva bank before embarking on a political career at the cantonal level, and was at one stage Chairman of the City Council of Geneva. He was elected member of the cantonal parliament of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, and presided over this institution from 1978 to 1979. Mr Aubert has been a member of the ICRC since 1979 and of the Executive Board since 1983 and was appointed Vice-President of the institution on 1 January 1984. He has published a number of books and articles on business law, Swiss law and international legal co-operation and international humanitarian law (See “The question of superior orders and the responsibility of Commanding Officers in the Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and relating to the protection of victims of international armed conflicts (Protocol I) of 8 June 1977”, International Review of the Red Cross., No. 263, March-April 1988).