Suchergebnisse

The current war in the Middle East shows the extent to which the world is now beset by disruption and uncertainty. The humanitarian work of the ICRC is obviously seriously affected by this situation. Being particularly sensitive – both by its nature and because of its mandate – to the state of international affairs, the ICRC is having to cope not only with the immediate effects of an international conflict but also with the implications in humanitarian terms of internal conflicts and disturbances which continue to prevail in many regions and which equally require the constant presence of delegates from our institution.

There is something extremely paradoxical about the modern world. Different societies have become increasingly interdependent, the solutions to the problems facing them impossible to separate, yet at the same time the diversity of those societies is very marked, whether it stems from their growing disparity in terms of development or from the desire of individuals and communities to affirm their identity. As the twentieth century draws to a close, the challenge is to lay the foundations of the true spirit of human fellowship required to reduce disparities and inequality while respecting differences and identities.

In its November-December 1989 issue the International Review of the Red Cross inaugurated a series of articles on the Fundamental Principles of the Movement. By inviting eminent theoreticians and active members of the National Societies and the League to give their views, and by publishing planned ICRC studies on the subject, the Review intends to contribute to the broad reflection which the Movement has been carrying out for the past three years and to the collection of treatises and case studies on various means of implementing the Principles.

The Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent are the cornerstone of the doctrine of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The Movement's mission and its activities are built on the Principles, which are binding on all its components in all circumstances. The members of the Movement are under the obligation to spread understanding and knowledge of the Principles, the better to ensure respect for them.

Torture is prohibited by public international law and explicitly forbidden by domestic legislation in many countries. Yet the least that can be said is that it continues to be practised today, whether by the use of violence or by increasingly insidious methods, more and more frequently involving children. To such an extent that in 1976, realizing the magnitude and seriousness of the problem, the ICRC felt obliged to speak out and explain the efforts it deploys to combat torture. And perhaps never since the end of the seventies have so many governmental and non-governmental international organizations been so active in the fight against torture.

The protection of refugees and displaced persons is guaranteed by many universal and regional instruments of international law. The rules are there, but for several years the humanitarian organizations charged with implementing them have constantly had to face new situations brought about by the scale and frequency of mass population movements, especially in the Third World, and new types of violence which affect both the status and the possibilities for protection of the people concerned. Very often, the solutions arrived at by these bodies have taken the form of assistance rather than protection, the one not always easily distinguishable from the other.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The theme for World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day on 8 May was "125 years at work…and still developing". This theme was chosen to underline the universalization of the Movement and the continuous growth in its activities on behalf of the victims of armed conflict and natural disaster. But development is also an expression of the solidarity between the Movement's components as soon as it is necessary to bring immediate assistance to the victims of man-made or natural catastrophy and to put forward medium or long-term plans aimed, in accordance with the Movement's Fundamental Principles, at preventing these calamities and ensuring the welfare of communities.

The common terms "internal disturbances" and "internal tensions" cover a whole range of situations all characterized by acts of violence related to human rights violations and resulting in human suffering. These situations, now so common and widespread throughout the world, are typified by direct confrontations between police and opponents of a regime or by any of a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, ideological, economic or social tensions, which may likewise give rise to police action as a preventive measure.

On 6 May of this year, on the occasion of Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga's taking office as the ICRC's twelfth President, the ICRC General Assembly paid tribute to Mr. Alexandre Hay, who headed the institution from 1 July 1976 to 6 May 1987.The members of the Committee and the Directorate recalled, in particular, the profound humanity and determination with which Mr. Hay had carried out his responsibilities throughout a decade marked by innumerable crises.

In a period of 20 months, from November 1862 to August 1864, an almost unnoticed revolution took place, the result of the feelings aroused in various European countries by the publication of a small book, entitledA Memory of Solferino. Its author, the young Swiss businessman Jean-Henry Dunant, used the sympathy it generated to promote the idea that wounded soldiers should, since they are no longer capable of fighting, cease to be treated as enemies. He wanted nations to organize groups of volunteers who, with the full backing of their respective governments, would stand ready and able to render assistance to wounded and sick members of armies in the field, whether friend or foe.

The year 1977 may be considered a turning point for the dissemination of knowledge of international humanitarian law and the Principles and the ideals of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. If we briefly review events of that year, we see that from 21 to 30 March 1977 the first European Red Cross Seminar on the Dissemination of the Geneva Conventions, organized by the Polish Red Cross and the ICRC, was held in Warsaw. Representatives of European and North American National Societies and of the ICRC and the League attended the seminar which adopted the following principles:«Although dissemination of knowledge of international humanitarian law is a responsibility of governments, it should be a direct concern of the Red Cross in general and particularly of each National Society in its own country.

It is true that the Twenty-fifth International Conference of the Red Cross (October 1986), the work of which was extensively reported by the International Review of the Red Cross in its special November-December 1986 issue, was marked by the suspension of the South African government delegation.