The theme of this paper is not an easy one. The difficulty of our subject is twofold: on the one hand, two of its three facets (peace and human rights) raise conceptual and interpretative problems; on the other hand, to deal with them together would involve finding a common factor, something which is not obvious even—perhaps especially—within the limited framework of the Red Cross movement.

The Diplomatic Conference on the Reaffirmation and Development of International Humanitarian Law Applicable in Armed Conflicts met in Geneva from 1974 to 1977. During its fourth session, in 1977, the Conference finally adopted two Protocols additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 for the protection of victims of war—Protocol I relating to international armed conflicts and Protocol II relating to non-international conflicts.

Under the heading “unity”, the Proclamation brought together three concepts: unity, properly speaking, or uniqueness: there can be only one National Red Cross Society in any one country; multitudinism: it must be open to everyone; and generality in its action: it must extend throughout the entire territory.

Most of the provisions of the 1977 Protocols to the Geneva Conventions are applicable only in time of armed conflict.

However, there are two types of provisions which may require States Parties to the Protocols to adopt certain measures upon ratification or accession, that is to say already in peacetime. These are:

— provisions which lay down a standing obligation, such as Article 83 of Protocol I and Article 19 of Protocol II, relating to dissemination of the Protocols;

— provisions which need to be supplemented by domestic legislation or regulations, or which require practical action to be taken at an early stage so that they may be applied when the need arises.

The President of the ICRC, Mr. Alexandre Hay, was in Italy from 15 to 20 June for an official visit. He was accompanied by Mr. Sergio Nessi, head of the Financing Division, and Mr. Melchior Borsinger, delegate-general for Europe and North America. The purpose of the visit was to contact the Italian authorities, to give them a detailed account of the ICRC role and function and to obtain greater moral and material support from them.

Mr. Alexandre Hay, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, accompanied by Mr. Sergio Nessi, head of the Financing Division, and Mr. Jean Hoefliger, delegate-general for the Middle East and North Africa, was in Tripoli (Libya) from 7 to 9 July. He was received by Colonel Moammar Qadaffi; Mr. Jadallah Azouz At-Talhi, President of the People's General Council; Mr. Abu Zaid Omar Durda, Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs; and Dr Muftah Al-Osta Omar, Minister of Health and President of the Libyan Red Crescent, who was accompanied by Dr. Ahmed Abdallah Es-Sherif, Secretary-General, and Mr. Abdel Rahman Bonkela, adviser, to the National Red Crescent.

Twenty-five years ago the International Committee of the Red Cross took over the management of the International Tracing Service, founded at the end of the Second World War by the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Great Britain and the United States. A short ceremony, attended by some 250 staff members of the ITS, marked this anniversary, at the beginning of June, at Arolsen.

The ICRC has recently issued the second edition (June 1980) of its illustrated brochure entitled “Presenting the ICRC”. It is intended for the general public and gives in its twenty pages an overall picture of the ICRC and its activities. The brochure, which is available in six languages—Arabic, English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish—has been sent to National Societies, to be used by them in connection with their information and public relations work. Further copies may be obtained on request.

On 30 June the ICRC appealed to several governments, National Red Cross Societies and a number of other donors—including the European Economic Community—to finance its humanitarian activities in Africa during the second half of 1980. At present the ICRC is engaged in a dozen African countries, and its outlays for the second half of this year are estimated at 23.4 million Swiss francs.