International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent

International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Name	International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Founded	1864
Location	Geneva, Switzerland
Parent organization	International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; International Committee of the Red Cross

International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is a quadrennial diplomatic forum convened by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in cooperation with the Swiss Confederation to bring together the components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and States party to the Geneva Conventions. The Conference assembles representatives from national Red Cross Society and Red Crescent Society branches, heads of State, ministers, diplomats, and representatives of specialized international organizations to address humanitarian law, disaster response, health, and protection in armed conflict and other emergencies.

History

The Conference traces origins to the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino and the founding of the Committee of Five that led to the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the call for the First Geneva Convention (1864), with subsequent plenary assemblies evolving into the modern Conference, shaped by events such as the Franco-Prussian War, the promulgation of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, and the diplomatic aftermath of the World War I and World War II. Major historical inflection points include adoption of additional protocols influenced by treaties like the Hague Conventions and by humanitarian crises such as the Rwandan Genocide and the Yugoslav Wars, which catalyzed changes in protection doctrine and prompted engagement with actors including the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, the African Union, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The Conference’s evolution reflects contributions from figures and institutions including Henry Dunant, the Swiss Federal Council, the League of Nations, and the United Nations General Assembly, and has intersected with instruments like the Ottawa Treaty and debates in forums such as the International Court of Justice.

Organization and Participants

Participants comprise the tripartite Movement components: the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and individual National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, alongside States party to the Geneva Conventions and observers drawn from intergovernmental organizations such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Labour Organization, the World Bank, and regional bodies like the Organization of American States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Other attendees include representatives from international tribunals including the International Criminal Court, humanitarian NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières, academic institutions like the Geneva Graduate Institute, and financial actors like the European Investment Bank. High-level political delegations often include ministers of Foreign Affairs, defence ministers, and heads of State, as seen when leaders associated with the G7 or BRICS have engaged, while military delegations from armed forces such as the British Army and the United States Department of Defense have also participated in specific thematic sessions addressing International humanitarian law compliance and detention practices.

Mandate and Functions

The Conference serves as the Movement’s supreme deliberative body to clarify the scope of the Geneva Conventions, recommend measures for improved compliance, and coordinate responses to humanitarian crises including epidemics like Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa (2014–2016), pandemics similar to COVID-19 pandemic, and natural disasters linked to events such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. It issues resolutions and framework decisions influencing instruments like the Additional Protocols of 1977 (I & II), shapes policy for humanitarian access negotiations involving actors such as Hezbollah or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and promotes protections for populations affected by conflicts in places such as Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, and Afghanistan. The Conference also establishes mechanisms for disaster law guidance with partners like the International Law Commission and supports implementation of norms referenced by bodies such as the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Major Conferences and Decisions

Key conferences have produced landmark outcomes: the early post-World War II sessions that reinforced the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the 1977 sessions that contributed to the Additional Protocols, and later assemblies that addressed humanitarian challenges stemming from crises in the Balkans, the Great Lakes region of Africa, and the Middle East. Notable decisions have included declarations on detainee treatment influenced by cases adjudicated at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and policy shifts responding to humanitarian access problems in conflict zones like Darfur and Palestine. The Conference has issued consensus resolutions on themes such as urban warfare protection, migration and displacement in contexts like the Mediterranean migration crisis, and health crises addressed alongside the World Health Assembly and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Working Groups and Thematic Agendas

Plenary sessions create specialized working groups that concentrate on topics including International humanitarian law dissemination, restoring family links in situations like the Syrian civil war, epidemic preparedness in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and protection of healthcare under attack, documenting incidents similar to those reported in Yemen and South Sudan. Thematic agendas cover disaster law harmonization with entities such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’s Disaster Law Programme, migration policy interactions with the International Organization for Migration, child protection in conflict influenced by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and climate-related humanitarian action linked to assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Working groups often liaise with academic networks like Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and NGOs including Oxfam International and Save the Children.

Impact and Criticism

The Conference has shaped customary International humanitarian law norms, influenced national legislation in States such as Canada, France, and Japan, and catalyzed cooperation among Movement components during emergencies like the Hurricane Katrina response and the Philippines Typhoon Haiyan operation. Critics argue that the Conference’s consensus-based format can dilute binding commitments, pointing to contested outcomes regarding humanitarian access in conflicts involving non-state armed groups like Al-Shabaab or Taliban (1994–present), and to tensions between neutrality doctrines and counterterrorism financing regimes exemplified by policies of the Financial Action Task Force. Scholars and practitioners from institutions such as the London School of Economics, Columbia University, and the International Committee of the Red Cross itself have debated reforms to increase accountability, transparency, and implementation monitoring, while States and Movement components continue negotiations with stakeholders including the European Court of Human Rights and civil society networks to reconcile operational constraints with evolving international norms.

Category:Humanitarian conferences