Suchergebnisse

On 8 July 1996, the International Court of Justice gave its advisory opinion in response to two enquiries as to the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons. Whilst the Court did not examine in detail the request put forward by the World Health Organization, it did give very close attention to the question presented by the General Assembly:"Is the threat or use of nuclear weapons in any circumstance permitted under international law?"

The importance of promoting knowledge of international humanitarian law has been recognized since its beginnings. Dissemination was made an obligation for States by the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.