More than seven years have elapsed since the first edition of this work. Seven years which have seen an increase rather than a decline of violence, and often an increasing contempt for life and for fundamental human rights.

The very first National Red Cross Societies were formed, on the initiative of Henry Dunant and his colleagues in that private Genevese association that was later to take the name of the “International Committee of the Red Cross”, precisely to come to the aid of wounded soldiers.

The President of the ICRC, Mr Alexandra Hay, accompanied by Mr Sergio Nessi, Chief of the Financing Division, and Mr G. B. Bacchetta, regional delegate for the Arabian Peninsula, went to Saudi Arabia on a short mission from 25 to 29 March.

President Hosni Mubarak of the Arab Republic of Egypt visited on 8 June the International Committee of the Red Cross. He was welcomed by ICRC President Alexandra Hay, along with members of the International Committee and senior ICRC staff.

The Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Robert Hawke, visited on 10 June the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva. He was accompanied by Australia's Permanent Representative in Geneva, Ambassador David Sadleir, as well as other officials.

The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines deposited with the Swiss Government, on 8 April 1983, an instrument of accession to the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, relating to the protection of victims of international armed conflicts (Protocol I) and non-international armed conflicts (Protocol II), adopted in Geneva on 8 June 1977.

The joint ICRC and Indonesian Red Cross mission to provide assistance to needy persons in East Timor was plunged into mourning on Saturday, 2 April. A helicopter with five persons on board, including two Indonesian Red Cross collaborators, crashed in bad weather after colliding with a tree 10 km south of Dili, the capital. At the time of the accident the team was returning to its base at Dili after carrying out a mission of assistance in the south of the island of Timor.

In its Circular No. 523 of 25 August 1982, the International Committee of the Red Cross had invited the Central Committees of National Societies to send in the names of nurses and voluntary aids who are active members or regular helpers of a National Society or of an affiliated medical or nursing institution, whom they judged qualified to receive the Florence Nightingale Medal.

The President of the ICRC, Mr. Alexandra Hay, accompanied by the ICRC delegate general for Africa, Mr. Jean-Marc Bornet, went on a mission to Angola from 6 to 10 April and met representatives of the Angolan Government, in particular the Ministers of External Relations, Health, Defence, State Security and Provincial Coordination. Apart from the progressive resumption of ICRC humanitarian action on the central Angolan plateau (Planalto) since the end of January and a survey of its activities throughout the world, the President of the ICRC discussed more specific subjects, such as the carrying off by UNITA of foreign collaborators at Alto Catumbela (Benguela province) on 12 March. The delegate general for Africa only returned to Geneva on 14 April after discussing the future of ICRC assistance action on the Planalto with the ICRC delegation.