I would like to begin by thanking the Agencia Española de Cooperación,
the Instituto Complutense de Estudios Internacionales and this
University for their invitation to take part in this course.
By responding decisively to citizens' growing shared interest
in helping to solve humanitarian issues, initiatives like this
course play a fundamental role. As a result of research, training
and dissemination efforts in the sphere of humanitarian action,
more and more people share the belief that even the gloomiest
facets of human relations can be improved.
We know that at this very moment, large-scale tragedies are
occurring for which mankind as a whole bears responsibility,
albeit indirectly and unconsciously. Now that we are all aware
of this, we can and must help to widen and deepen the channels
through which the vital and free experience of each and every
one can flow and which must lead to a more homogeneous human
development model with greater dignity.
The Red Cross and the Red Crescent share the view that we have
come to live in a world that is interconnected and interdependent
- a world where it is becoming harder and harder to us to ignore
the vulnerability of others and to maintain exclusive spheres
of prosperity. Today, risks are global in nature, and we must
act without overdramatizing but responsibly to tackle them
decisively with the unanimous agreement of the international
community.
We must realize that these global risks - which, at the risk
of sounding a bit apocalyptic, pose a threat to mankind - can
only be prevented if the entire community of nations, from the
most to the least developed, agrees to join forces to banish
violence, poverty, ignorance and environmental damage because
this is a shared responsibility.
The evidence is clear: we have sufficient means and knowledge
today not only to alleviate the main consequences of vulnerability
but also to prevent and avoid its causes to a large extent.
What is unacceptable from an ethical standpoint is the persistence
and sometimes chronic nature of extremely precarious living
conditions affecting practically onethird of the world's population.
At the same time, we must look up from this urgent and immediate
humanitarian task as far ahead as we can and provide for a future
that offers a reasonable guarantee of dignity and prosperity.
It would be mean indeed to continue to jeopardize the future
of coming generations because of the interests we pursue today.
Ever since our organization was founded over a century and a
half ago, our shared belief has been rooted in the implementation
of humanitarian action: we began with the victims of wars then
gradually broadened our voluntary commitment to include those
afflicted by all kinds of disasters, by epidemics, exclusion
and marginalization.
Throughout this period, we have consistently seen that humanitarian
action is never pointless, provided that much thought is given
to the methods and means to be used in order to ensure maximum
effectiveness. We cannot wait to succour those who are suffering
to the best of our abilities, even though we cannot prevent
the suffering of all.
Over time, the Red Cross and the Red Crescent have witnessed
an increase in the number of persons who, within the many different
organizations that share a vision grounded in solidarity, have
committed themselves to "action based on solidarity". Through
their volunteer work, growing numbers of people are underscoring
the pressing need to reach a major world agreement based on
solidarity and have decided to start moving in this direction.
As regards such an agreement, many of us are convinced that
in the future we have a clear benchmark towards which we should
work: the objectives of the United Nations Millennium Declaration
which the international community endorsed in 1999, thereby
setting goals to be reached by 2015.
In practical terms, the community of nations agreed to eradicate
extreme poverty and hunger by this year; to achieve universal
primary education; to promote gender equality, especially with
regard to education; to reduce child mortality; to improve maternal
health; to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; to ensure
environmental sustainability; and to promote a global partnership
for universal and sustainable development.
Just recently, the Secretary-General of the United Nations warned
that one in every six human beings still lived on less than
one dollar a day and that extreme poverty claimed 20,000 lives
every day. Meanwhile, HIV/AIDS has killed over 20 million and
infected 40 million others. Over 40 countries have been scarred
by conflict; more than 25 million men, women and children have
been displaced within their own country, and an additional 11
to 12 million have become refugees.
Yet he also stressed that "the past 25 years have seen the most
dramatic reduction in extreme poverty that the world has ever
experienced. Spearheaded by progress in China and India, literally
hundreds of millions of men, women and children all over the
world have been able to escape the burdens of extreme impoverishment
and begin to enjoy improved access to food, health care, education
and housing".
Likewise, progress has been made in such areas as migration
and climate change. However, as Kofi Annan puts it, "overall
global wealth has grown but is less and less evenly distributed
within countries, within regions and in the world as a whole".
With a view to protecting the lives and dignity of all, the
Red Cross and the Red Crescent have always stood ready to help
through their active presence at such scenes of suffering or,
worse still, desperation and despair.
Their work is one way of demonstrating that inequality, abuse
and aggression are real indeed. The neutrality of the Red Cross
and the Red Crescent, which is not always understood, serves
their efforts to protect and promote human rights, alleviate
suffering and help to eliminate its causes.
VIOLENCE
Undeniably, when we speak of global risks, what comes to mind
is perhaps the greatest threat to development and world stability
- armed violence. Indeed, armed violence is still used frequently
to settle territorial issues or impose positions based on views,
religion or ethnic membership. Astonishing as it may seem,
we have learned very little from consistently harmful efforts
to assert authority by force.
First, there is the loss of human life, the destruction of property
and infrastructure, environmental damage, and so on. Moreover,
lost development opportunities for communities lead to impoverishment.
What is more, the resentment felt by the warring parties after
the ceasefire indefinitely hampers real prospects for reconciliation,
stability, and hence prosperity.
After the Second World War, the international community agreed
to regulate the use of armed force with a view to limiting damage
and the number of victims to a minimum. This is the content
of international humanitarian law, as enshrined in the Geneva
Conventions and their Additional Protocols.
One thing is certain: nowadays, many armed conflicts are between
belligerents which are unaware of, fail to respect or deliberately
flout these international norms. Staff members of humanitarian
organizations have often been attacked deliberately, to plunder
humanitarian supplies or prevent them from carrying out their
relief activities.
Infringements must not remain unpunished. There is a need to
support and strengthen, as much as possible, the mission of
the International Criminal Court, which the majority of nations
have deemed competent to try infringements with the necessary
independence.
It is precisely because there are violations of international
humanitarian law that we must push for strict observance of
such law. Above all, those countries that have adhered to the
relevant norms must respect and ensure respect for the limits
it places on the use of force.
The results of the work done by the International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC), the component of our International
Movement that is responsible for promoting and ensuring respect
for the Geneva Conventions, clearly show how avoiding human
suffering and property damage is a decisive factor in restoring
peace and achieving harmony.
The civilian population, which pays the heaviest toll in today's
conflicts, is a priority target of the ICRC's activities. For
example, during 2004, in a total of 34 countries in conflict
the ICRC distributed provisions and household goods; helped
local communities to become self-sufficient by means of agricultural
production programs and micro-economic initiatives; supplied
drinking water, sanitation and other infrastructural services;
and provided health care at 250 medical centres. Some 27 million
persons benefited from these services.
At the same time, the ICRC also gives priority to persons deprived
of their liberty, a particularly vulnerable group. Last year,
its delegates visited more than 2400 places of detention in
80 countries, where they made contact with 570,000 persons.
These visits provide an opportunity for regular assessment of
the treatment of detainees or conditions of detention.
The ICRC also collected and distributed more than 1.3 million
Red Cross messages, enabling relatives separated by a conflict
or other forms of armed violence to stay in touch. Likewise,
it ascertained the whereabouts of more than 6000 persons whose
families were looking for them.
Today, when we speak of armed violence, it is only logical to
include terrorism as a threat to peace and stability. Despite
the horror of such attacks as the recent bombings in London,
the only appropriate responses to such atrocities are the ones
provided for by the rule of law and international humanitarian
law.
One form of violence which we must not overlook is organized
crime as a global risk that poses an ever more visible threat
to international stability and thus to the life and dignity
of many. The greed of criminal networks has led to new forms
of enslavement such as forced prostitution, trafficking in illegal
immigrants, drugs and arms, underemployment, extortion and so
on.
The contempt that organized crime has shown for all types of
human values tends to indicate that there are no limits to its
aberrant activities. We must therefore act decisively and promptly,
in accordance with the rule of law, to dismantle and neutralize
such networks.
The point should be made that effective steps to combat illegal
trade in arms ranging from light weapons to bacteriological
and chemical weapons have proved their worth. Also necessary
is tight control of nuclear weapons, which underscores the need
for progress towards disarmament.
POVERTY
If there is a global risk that can have a decisive impact on
mankind's future, it is poverty. We have all seen how poverty
can, depending on the circumstances, be viewed as a cause or
a consequence of these armed conflicts and other forms of violence,
epidemics or disasters.
Today, the poor are scapegoats owing to their own vulnerability
to hunger, insecurity, disaster and disease.
Combating poverty in order to eliminate it once and for all
is one of the main tasks of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.
Our International Federation, in cooperation with each of its
181 National Societies, helps millions of persons who are victims
of disasters, refugees or displaced within their own country
and who suffer from extremely precarious situations or other
types of socioeconomic hardship.
Today's activities in over 150 countries are guided by the action
strategies of the country or region where they are implemented,
which always include means to build local Red Cross or Red Crescent
capacities. These programs focus on a few essential areas such
as disaster preparedness and intervention; health protection
and community assistance; and the promotion of humanitarian
values designed to consolidate a universal culture of solidarity
and respect for human life and dignity.
Activities dealing with natural or man-made disasters account
for a large share of the work done by the Red Cross and the
Red Crescent through their Federation. All over the world, the
impact of natural and technological disasters is steadily worsening.
According to the data at our disposal, some 210 million persons,
the majority of whom are very poor, are affected every year
by disasters linked to conflicts. Not all disasters are on a
large scale - there are also smaller, periodical disasters.
One thing is certain: there are three times as many such disasters
as during the 70s.
Consequently, there is a need to encourage governments, which
tend to focus on emergency response schemes, to start developing
disaster prevention and mitigation plans, because disaster preparedness
saves lives and is essential for a swift and effective response
to emergencies. It is the most important link between response,
rehabilitation and programs designed to launch a genuine development
process.
The Red Cross and the Red Crescent have accepted one fundamental
tenet: we must sweep aside the erroneous argument that the victims
of disasters or poverty are helpless beings who passively receive
outside help. Because of this belief, much of the work that
is done ends up undermining local participation and ownership.
On the contrary, humanitarian intervention is much more effective
when it is based on local knowledge and capacities.
As relief organizations, we are accustomed to evaluating needs,
vulnerabilities and risks. However, we often underestimate the
capacity of peoples to deal with crises, get organized and take
action, what they can do for themselves and what they know about
setting priorities. We must therefore be mindful of their own
capacities in order to build up their resistance and enhance
the effectiveness of our aid.
Droughts, floods, earthquakes, eruptions, man-made disasters,
epidemics and so on are emergencies which require disaster preparedness
and response. Effective planning and preparedness are essential
both nationwide and locally, and depend on the involvement and
education of the public. At the same time, international coordination
may be necessary in the event of large-scale disasters.
The tsunami in South-East Asia is a case in point. There was
excellent coordination between our Federation, the different
National Societies, ICRC (some of the disaster-stricken countries
faced internal conflicts) and the United Nations system.
The Red Cross and the Red Crescent collected more than 3.5 billion
Swiss francs, making it possible to improve the living conditions
of millions of vulnerable persons through programs scheduled
to run over the next ten years at least.
The governments in the area expedited the delivery of international
aid. The public expressed its solidarity with the disaster victims
by maintaining the flow of aid by means of donations, and the
Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers began work right away.
The Federation will keep on consolidating disaster preparedness
as it supports the efforts spearheaded by the local Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies to rebuild communities and restore
their means of subsistence.
Yet along with the undeniably serious effects of these disasters,
which focus world attention owing to their tremendous scope,
we must find a means of ensuring continuing priority for other
more devastating disasters which, owing to their persistent
nature, are no longer in the headlines and no longer touch people.
Here, I am referring for example to the AIDS pandemic, which
I am used to calling a daily disaster.
According to available data at the International Federation,
the number of AIDS orphans could rise from the present total
of 12 million to 24 million in 2010. As a matter of fact, we
are concerned about the future viability of some countries if
no support is forthcoming for orphans and other children, especially
in Africa.
I believe that this situation clearly illustrates the impact
of poverty - a disaster of epic proportions - as well as the
global risk it poses for future generations.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Today, efforts to combat poverty and promote sustainable development
for the most vulnerable communities must address the grave problem
of environmental damage, which is undoubtedly the most threatening
global risk for mankind.
There is hard and fast evidence that we are exhausting our natural
resources and depleting biodiversity, and this has already
had a direct impact on the most vulnerable, as always. Poor
harvests, lack of drinking water and desertification aggravate
famine and disease and intensify the consequences of natural
disasters.
A Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report conducted under UN
auspices warns that over the past 50 years, we have changed
ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable
period of time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing
demands for food, fresh water, wood, fiber, and fuel.
"This has resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible
loss in the diversity of life on Earth" says the report. The
degradation of ecosystem services could grow significantly worse
during the first half of this century and is a barrier to achieving
the Millennium Development Goals, which I mentioned earlier.
Although this environmental exploitation has resulted in progress
for humanity, this has come at the cost of environmental damage
that has aggravated poverty and could well jeopardize the future
well-being of mankind as a whole. Protecting the environment
is the duty that best underscores the need for a global approach
to the issue. Each nation must realize that failing to act promptly
to avert the risks of climate change will only guarantee temporary
benefits.
DEMOCRACY
As I said at the beginning, our success in avoiding these global
risks will depend on the commitment of the most advanced societies
to sharing their resources with the least developed ones, which
must coincide with internal, proactive efforts by communities
that need to start moving towards prosperity.
What we need is for world society as a whole - governments,
civil society, corporations, productive, intellectual and scientific
sectors, etc. - to accept the "ethical emergency" of working
actively to ensure that the notion of strict respect for the
rights, life and dignity of persons becomes a reality. And here
I would venture to say that as far as I am concerned, mankind's
proven lack of shared will and inability to live in peace and
prosperity is the main global risk to our future and that of
our descendants.
Consequently, the Red Cross and the Red Crescent - in their
efforts to "make their way as they go along", as the poet Antonio
Machado put it - are endeavouring to take steps and encourage
others to follow suit, thereby helping mankind to fulfil its
destiny - its own dignity.
The developed countries must step up their development aid:
by guaranteeing market access for goods for the least developed
countries, by becoming collaborators, not creditors, and by
transferring the organizational and technological resources
that will enable the least developed countries to develop as
fast as possible.
Yet there is no doubt but that the least developed communities
and regions must themselves lead the way. It is obvious that
progress depends to a large extent on the existence of a common
goal. However, many countries still face corruption and a lack
of participation by the majority and minorities, leading to
confrontation and disagreement with those in power.
Accordingly, there is an urgent need for these societies to
recover their sovereignty in order to decide their future; their
governments must represent their real aspirations in this regard,
take the initiative for their development and give those they
represent fresh hope. Food, health, means of subsistence, women's
key role in the social structure, protection of natural resources
and the environment must all be national priorities and must
enjoy the firm support of the international community.
To sum up, I would like to stress that world society must view
humanitarian action for development as a right and a universal
duty - a common responsibility that must transcend our beliefs,
opinions and interests.
Second, the causes and consequences of disasters and conflicts
cannot be separated from the situation of vulnerability caused
by poverty. I therefore feel that when we speak of world security,
we should of course mention a lack of conflict but also the
elimination of poverty.
I would like to reiterate that we cannot view humanitarian action
as the expression of our will to help. On the contrary, we should
engage in such action as an ethical commitment to the dignity
and freedom of others. We must work together with the most vulnerable
so that they may start down the road to prosperity, yet we cannot
map out the route for them.
Current interest in humanitarian issues assures us that we are
on the right track. In this connection, even though they represent
small steps forward, commitments like the EU's pledge with regard
to development aid and the agenda of the recent G8 summit which
highlighted such topics as fair trade and poverty in Africa
and the rest of the world, clearly show that world society is
prepared to move in this direction.
From 14 to 16 September of this year, the United Nations General
Assembly will review progress in the implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals. I believe that this world summit
offers the community of nations a unique opportunity to ensure
that States assume once and for all the responsibility to create
a viable future for all.
At the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, we are anxious to reach
this goal as soon as possible, because we know that things are
not moving as fast as they could.
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