Humanitarian standards help make the world a safer place

IFRC President Tadateru Konoé stressed the importance of promoting adherence to humanitarian principles. Photo: © IFRC

In an opening statement to the 28 November to 1 December 2011 Conference, IFRC President Tadateru Konoé affirmed the Federation’s “continued engagement in international initiatives including the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum standards in Humanitarian Response, known as the Sphere Project.”

“The [Red Cross] Movement has always been at the forefront of raising humanitarian standards in order to make the world a safer place for all,” Konoé said.

These initiatives have been followed “by the Federation’s strong engagement in the ‘Guidelines for the domestic facilitation and regulation of international disaster relief and initial recovery assistance’ also known as the IDRL Guidelines,” he explained. These “can help to both anticipate and solve common regulatory problems in international operations, helping to increase the speed of the entry of relief and to ensure oversight and control by domestic authorities.”

In relation to building the capacities of the IFRC’s member National Societies, Konoé evoked “the importance of promoting adherence to humanitarian principles as a common ground for better coordination among partners”.

The IFRC president stressed that “because of the increasing number and complexity of disasters, governments need a balanced and well-prepared system as envisaged by the IDRL Guidelines if international assistance is to be managed effectively”.

The “increasing involvement of governments and the military in the relief phase of disaster response operations” can also cause difficulties. According to Konoé, “one of today’s key challenges in bridging national and international assistance is insufficient mutual understanding, dialogue and knowledge-sharing among affected States and the international community. This has led to gaps in trust and confidence, as well as failures to coordinate, ultimately hindering our ability to work together effectively.”

“We must build and maintain relationships with all actors engaged in relief and recovery, while working within our respective mandates and remaining true to the fundamental principles that set us apart,” Konoé emphasized.