[gnso-igo-ingo] RCRC Comments on the WG IGO/INGO template
Dear Thomas, dear Berry, dear all, (1) Further to yesterday's call, please find attached, the "Red Cross and Red Crescent" comments on the WG IGO/INGO Template distributed yesterday in track changes. As indicated during the call, we recommend that the wording "international organisations" be maintained throughout the document, as it will better allow to encompass all concerned organisations, thus including the international components of the the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement which are considered to enjoy a distinct status under international law. The latter stems in particular from the ICRC's enjoyment of international mandates conferred upon it by the treaties of International Humanitarian Law, the observer status recognized to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the UN GA, the participation of the components of the Movement in the International Conferences of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, in which States participate, the Headquarters Agreements concluded by the ICRC and the International Federation with many States and acknowledging inter alia the Organisations' diplomatic priviliges and immunities. It should also to our mind be made clear in the template that the WG will require to examine and to take into due account also all distinctive grounds substantiating the requirements for the protection and reservation of the designations of the IO's under consideration and which would complement the affiliation of the said names to any given organisation. This should allow to fully and comprehensively reflect the global public interest in their protection. As recalled during yesterday's call, the words "Red Cross" and "Red Crescent" designations require to be protected, as stipulated under international law treaties, in their own right as the designations of the protective emblems of armed forces medical personnel in times of armed conflict (and not only, or exclusively, as part of the names of the respective components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, whether those of the International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Afghan Red Crescent or American Red Cross). (2) As a second point, we also wish to take this opportunity to emphasize, and thus following certain arguments presented during the yesterday's call, that the protection of the Red Cross, Red Crescent and Red Crystal and related designations is not being grounded or called for out of "sympathy" for the Red Cross and Red Crescent or for its humanitarian roles, but because the protection of these names stems and is a requirement under universally agreed international norms of international humanitarian law (194, soon to be 195 States parties to the 1949 Geneva Conventions). (3) We take this opportunity to attach the Position Paper which we submitted to the Board on 13 June 2012. There are also, as participants in the former Drafting Group on IOC/RC will recall, a series of other past submissions of the RCRC shared since the beginning of this year. With best regards, Stéphane J. Hankins Legal adviser Cooperation and coordination within the Movement International Committee of the Red Cross Tel (direct line): ++0041 22 730 24 19 Christopher M. Rassi Senior Legal Officer International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Chemin des Crêts, 17 | 1209 Petit Saconnex | Geneva | Switzerland Tel. +41 (0)22 730 4536 | Fax +41 (0)22 733 0395 =============================================================================== The ICRC - working to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence. Find out more: www.icrc.org This e-mail is intended for the named recipient(s) only. Its contents are confidential and may only be retained by the named recipient (s) and may only be copied or disclosed with the consent of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). If you are not an intended recipient please delete this e-mail and notify the sender. =============================================================================== Attachment:
Comments on the IGO-INGO Template.RCRC.28.11.2012.doc Attachment:
Position paper & Annexes.pdf
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