The 31st International Conference: outcomes

"Our World. Your Move – For Humanity"

The 31st International Conference (Conference) of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the world's largest humanitarian conference, took place in Geneva from 28 November to 1 December 2011 with the aim of strengthening international humanitarian law (IHL) and humanitarian action. It convened 164 States, 183 National Societies (NS), 56 observers, the ICRC and the International Federation under the banner of "Our World. Your Move – For Humanity".
The Conference acknowledged evolving contemporary humanitarian challenges and promoted improved responses to current and emerging needs of vulnerable people in humanitarian emergencies, natural disasters, conflicts or other situations of violence, in particular through the nine resolutions adopted and the 390 pledges submitted in the following 4 areas:

Strengthening international humanitarian law (IHL)

The resolution "Strengthening legal protection for victims of armed conflict" addresses gaps in IHL in two areas: the protection of people deprived of their freedom; and mechanisms to ensure compliance with IHL. This resolution invites the ICRC to "identify and propose a range of options and its recommendations" regarding these two areas.

The "Four-Year Action Plan for the Implementation of IHL" resolution sets out a series of measures whereby States can enhance their implementation actions.

Reduce Impact of disasters, facilitate recovery

The resolution on “Strengthening normative frameworks and addressing regulatory barriers concerning disaster mitigation, response and recovery” calls  for continued progress in “IDRL” (International Disaster Response Laws, Rules and Principles) and encourages work in new areas of disaster law, including legislation for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and measures to overcome common regulatory barriers to post-disaster shelter.

Addressing barriers to health care

Two resolutions address barriers to health care: One on “Health Care in Danger: Respecting and Protecting Health Care” gives the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement a clear mandate to initiate consultations with a view of formulating practical recommendations for making the delivery of health care safer in armed conflict and/or other emergencies. The other resolution "Health inequities: reducing burden on women and children" calls on NS and their governments to dismantle all barriers to health, starting with those that deprive women and children of the highest attainable standard of health, a fundamental right of every human being.

Strengthening local humanitarian action

Two resolutions aim at strengthening local humanitarian action. The first resolution "Migration: Ensuring Access, Dignity, Respect for Diversity and Social Inclusion" ensures the humanitarian assistance and protection for vulnerable migrants. It creates a framework for NS to work closely with States in accordance with the Movement’s Fundamental Principles and reinforces their auxiliary role. The second resolution "Furthering the auxiliary role: Partnership for stronger National Societies and volunteering development" highlights the importance of coordinated governmental approaches to volunteering in NS and in other voluntary organisations.

Pledges to act

In addition to the adopted resolutions, a record-breaking 377 pledges were submitted during the Conference providing a direct means for the participants to complement the implementation of the resolutions. It is still possible to join those pledges or submit a new one related to the major 4 areas. For more information on this, please, see chapter “Pledges”.