Foreign Office Minister commemorates 31st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
To mark the first day of the 31st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham gave a statement.
The Minister said:
“We look forward to taking part in the 31st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which begins today in Geneva. The theme of this year’s Conference, “Our World. Your move - for humanity” provides a focus for important discussions with the Red Cross Movement and other states on strengthening international humanitarian law and humanitarian actions.
“To underpin these discussions, and in support of the wider Conference themes, we will make a number of collaborative pledges on activities we intend to undertake in the next four years. These include working towards ratification of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols; and continuing to raise public awareness of international humanitarian law and its continuing importance as well as of the associated humanitarian mandate and work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.”
The quadrennial International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent will take place from 28 November to 1 December in Geneva. It involves all 194 States Party to the Geneva Conventions, as well as Observers and the components of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement: the 187 National Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC).
The Conference will focus on a broad range of issues of relevance to the Red Cross Movement: ranging from strengthening international humanitarian law (IHL); protecting healthcare infrastructure in armed conflict; strengthening disaster laws; and strengthening humanitarian action at the national level.