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Appeal for renewed efforts to protect human dignity

The Presidents of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies called for renewed efforts to protect the dignity of people affected by armed conflict, natural disaster and health emergencies such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

Addressing the 28th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva, ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger deplored the fact that armed conflicts continue to cause immense and lasting suffering around the world. "Even when conflicts wind down in military terms, they continue to take the lives of people who step on mines, and of people who no longer have access to drinking water or medical care as a result of the fighting. Thousands of families remain without news of relative who have gone missing."

International Federation President Juan Manuel Suarez del Toro said the humanitarian landscape had changed radically in the last few years. "We have been particularly alarmed by the erosion of respect for our neutral and impartial work to alleviate human suffering, as well as the growing insecurity faced by humanitarian workers, especially those working as volunteers, with little else to protect them except the emblem."

Mr. Kellenberger stressed that in an increasingly polarised world, international humanitarian law remains the best available framework within which to strike a balance between legitimate security requirements and the equally legitimate need to preserve human dignity: "I am convinced that it is possible to ensure the security of a State without violating the basic norms of humanitarian law, that one can control a territory while respecting its population, and that one can detain people who threaten public order while respecting their physical and psychological integrity and without undermining their dignity."

The ICRC President warned that anti-terrorism measures must comply with clear legal rules: "the struggle against terrorist activities, necessary and legitimate as it is, must not undermine the values on which society must be founded - in particular the preservation of human dignity according to international law."

Mr. Suarez del Toro said the world could not ignore the impact of disasters and health emergencies, nor the daily disaster of poverty, intolerance and discrimination, which together threaten hundreds of millions each year. "Too often, laws, policies and procedures act as a barrier and impediment to effective and co-ordinated response to disasters and disease, and discriminate against vulnerable groups. This is why we believe that governments and the Red Cross Red Crescent need to work together to ensure that legislation works to protect the human dignity of all people regardless of status or circumstances, in all situations that threaten their lives and livelihoods."

The Federation President added that was a need for governments to give more active support to the work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, particularly through recognition of the important role that volunteers play in strengthening civil society. He said that while the Red Cross and Red Crescent can work "as willing partners with governments in efforts to confront contemporary humanitarian challenges, we must at all times maintain our independence, neutrality and autonomy."

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