President Of ICRC Research Articles

Interview with Peter Maurer

Peter Maurer studied history and international law in Bern, where he obtained his PhD. In 1987 he entered the Swiss diplomatic service, and has since held various positions in Bern, Pretoria and New York. In 2000 he was appointed Ambassador and Head of the Human Security Division in the Political Directorate of the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern and in 2004 became Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York. In January 2010 Mr Maurer was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in Bern. He succeeded Jakob Kellenberger as ICRC President on 1 July 2012.In this interview, Mr Maurer reflects on the rich history of the ICRC, conveys his perception of the evolution of the organization, and presents his perspective on the challenges ahead for the humanitarian sector and the ICRC in particular.1

War in Iraq: the ICRC President calls for respect for international humanitarian law: Declaration by the ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger to the media on 20 March 2003

War in Iraq: the ICRC President calls for respect for international humanitarian law: Declaration by the ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger to the media on 20 March 2003

Press Conference given by the President of the ICRC (Geneva, 30 May 1995)

At his annual press conference on 30 May 1995, ICRC President Cornelia Sommaruga began by referring to the recent 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe and deploring the ICRC's moral failure regarding the Holocaust, when “it did not succeed in moving beyond the limited legal framework established by the States”.

Address by Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the ICRC Special Rapporteur

Address by Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the ICRC <i>Special Rapporteur</i>

Humanitarian action and peace-keeping operations

The ICRC President, Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga, and his special adviser, Mr. André Pasquier, took part on 5 and 6 March 1993 in the 25th session of the Academy for Peace and International Security in Monaco, chaired by the Academy's President, Professor René-Jean Dupuy.

Missions by the President

On 20 November 1992 ICRC President Cornelio Sommaraga made a statement to the United Nations General Assembly during the debate on strengthening the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance (text published in this issue of the Review, pp. 49–56).

Missions by the President

From September to November 1992 ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga went on several missions, visiting successively the Republic of Korea, the People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the United Kingdom, Tunisia and the United States.

Missions by the President

In July and August 1992 ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga went on several missions as part of the intense diplomatic activity that developed with regard to the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. (See also “The ICRC and the conflict in the former Yugoslavia”, pp. 488–491.) In addition, he paid an official visit to Poland and spoke at the inaugural session of training courses at two institutions. On both occasions his address served to convey the ICRC's humanitarian message.

Assistance to victims of war in international humanitarian law and humanitarian practice

To crown the feature on humanitarian assistance published in the May-June 1992 issue of the Review, we now present the text of a lecture given by ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga in several European cities in recent months, among them Freiburg im Breisgau, Como, Oslo and Paris.

Missions by the President

In the second half of May 1992, ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga went to The Hague to attend the IVth Regional Conference of European National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (18-22 May), which took as its theme “The New Europe needs The New Red Cross” (see pp. 391-393). While in The Hague, Mr. Sommaruga had talks with the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Cooperation Development on various current ICRC operations and on financial matters. The President thanked the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for its substantial support for the ICRC in the past and for its commitment to providing financial help in the future. During a working meeting at the Foreign Ministry with officials dealing with various geographical regions and with multilateral cooperation, the prospects for reconvening the 26th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent were reviewed. The President also had the opportunity, at a lunch given by the Swiss Ambassador to the Netherlands, to talk to the President of the Second Chamber of the Netherlands Parliament and to the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about humanitarian needs around the world and the degree of respect shown for international humanitarian law. Mr. Sommaruga was accompanied by Mr. Maurice Aubert, a member of the ICRC, Mr. Yves Sandoz, Director, and Mr. Michel Convers, Deputy Director.

Presidential missions

In April and May ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga carried out missions in Switzerland, Portugal and Spain.

Death of Alexandre Hay

Former ICRC President Alexandre Hay died on 23 August in Geneva at the age of 72. With Mr. Hay's passing the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has lost a true champion of the humanitarian cause, wholly committed to upholding the law and the Movement's ideals and to promoting peace through dialogue.

Proceedings of the Round Table

This address was given by the ICRC President at the opening of the fourth of a series of expert meetings which considered the use of new laser weapons to permanently blind enemy soldiers. The ICRC had initially been alerted to this problem by the mention, in a number of technical and military publications, of the fact that both vehicle-mounted lasers and hand-held laser rifles are being developed which appear to have two purposes: the destruction of sensors on vehicles, and the targeting of soldiers' eyes. Several governments voiced their concern about this development at the International Conference of the Red Cross in 1986 and the ICRC decided to study the subject in more detail.

Presidential Missions: Greece (19–23 May)

ICRC President Comelio Sommamga, accompanied by Mr. Jean-Francois Berger, regional delegate for the Balkan States, and Ms. Marlyse Schaer from the Division for Principles and Relations with the Movement were in Greece from 19 to 23 May 1991 at the invitation of the Hellenic Red Cross. The principal aims of their mission were to pay an official visit to the National Society and learn more about its activities, and to meet with the Greek authorities to discuss ways of promoting knowledge of international humanitarian law and other matters relating to ICRC activities.

Presidential Missions

The missions which took ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga to Great Britain, France, Jordan and the United States in February and early March 1991 were part of the effort to mobilize humanitarian aid to meet the immediate needs of the victims of the Middle East conflict and its aftermath.During the same period the President also carried out official visits in Switzerland, Italy and Brazil.

Missions by the President

Since October 1990, the President of the ICRC, Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga, has carried out missions to Italy, Denmark and Switzerland.The ICRC President, accompanied by Mr. Francis Amar, deputy Delegate General for Europe and North America, and Mr. Jean-Luc Blondel, head of the Division for Principles and Relations with the Movement, took part in a meeting of National Society Presidents from the countries of the European Economic Community (EEC). The meeting was organized by the Italian Red Cross and held in Asolo, near Venice, from 8 to 11 October 1990.

Cambodia

Although the Cambodian authorities announced, during an official visit to Phnom Penh by the ICRC President in September, that, in principle, the ICRC would have access to detainees arrested in connection with the situation in the country, the conditions for such visits were still being discussed at the end of the year.

ICRC President in South-East Asia

ICRC President in South-East Asia

ICRC President in the Middle East

ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga, accompanied by Mr. Angelo Gnaedinger, the Delegate General for the Middle East, was in the Middle East from 3 to 7 September 1990 for high-level talks with the Jordanian, Iraqi and Iranian authorities concerning the Gulf crisis. To quote President Sommaruga, the purpose of this mission was to achieve a “comprehensive humanitarian mobilization”. The mission itself was in keeping with the ICRC's mandate to act in the event of international armed conflict on the basis of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the institution's statutory right of initiative. It had four main objectives:• to provide protection and assistance, in both Iraq and Kuwait, to the various categories of civilians affected by the events;• to improve co-ordination and step up the ICRC's operation in Jordan in behalf of foreigners transiting through the country;• to examine possibilities of assisting foreign nationals crossing other borders (particularly into Iran);• to review the current situation with regard to the repatriation of Iraqi and Iranian prisoners of war.

Emanuel Christen and Elio Erriquez released

Emanuel Christen and Elio Erriquez, the two ICRC orthopaedic technicians abducted while on their way to work in Sidon, Lebanon, on 6 October 1989, were released on 8 and 13 August 1990 respectively after 307 and 312 days of captivity.Both delegates followed the same path to freedom. They were handed over to Syrian forces in Lebanon and then transferred to Damascus where, in the presence of the head of the ICRC's delegation in the Syrian capital, they were entrusted to the care of the Swiss embassy. From Damascus a special aircraft chartered by the ICRC brought them back to Switzerland, where they were welcomed by their families, by Mr. René Felber, head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, and by ICRC President Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga.