At its meeting of 27 November 1987 in Rio de Janeiro, the Council of Delegates, in its resolution No. 4 entitled “Information and dissemination of international humanitarian law as a contribution to peace”, had urged the Commission on the Red Cross, the Red Crescent and Peace “to take all necessary steps to improve ways and means of making better known and understood the role of the Movement in favour of peace by pointing out the connection between disseminating international humanitarian law and the Movement's Fundamental Principles and developing a spirit of peace.”

The tragedy of internal strife affects a large and growing number of countries throughout the world. The situations in many of these countries have been studied by UN bodies, governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations and, of course, by the International Committee of the Red Cross. On the basis of their reports, it would be possible to describe the symptoms of internal strife specific to these particular countries. However, this paper focuses on the general features characteristic of internal strife, without reference to particular countries, since accounts of the situation in any specific country inevitably prompt debate over conflicting factual allegations. Such debate would deflect us from our tasks of developing and understanding of the nature of internal strife and suggesting the necessary remedies.

The International Museum of the Red Cross will be inaugurated in a few days' time. This is an important event for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement—now the world's most universal humanitarian movement will have a place of its own where its past achievements and present activities will be brought to life.

To mark the 125th anniversary of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the Henry Dunant Society organized a two-day symposium in Geneva from 26 to 28 October 1988 on the direct precursors of the Red Cross.

For three days, historians and people working on the theoretical and practical side of the Red Cross and other academic and private institutions sought to discover or rediscover women and men who, especially in the nineteenth century, had the same concerns as the “Committee of Five” for wounded and sick soldiers and for prisoners of war and a desire to see both the wounded and those caring for them declared neutral and standing relief societies created. In short, the purpose of the symposium was to ascertain the influence of that humanitarian sensibility which found tangible expression with the founding of the Red Cross in 1863.

According to the Strategy for the Development of National Societies in the Eighties, adopted at the International Conference of the Red Cross in Manila in 1981, development is “the process of strengthening the capacity of National Societies to provide Red Cross services based on national resources. It is thus concerned with both the development of National Societies' operational structures and with the development of the services they provide.”

At its last meeting in 1987, the Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross welcomed Mrs. Liselotte Kraus-Gurny as a new member of the Committee.

Mrs. Kraus-Gurny is from Zurich. She is a Doctor of Laws and worked in the legal division of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva from 1961 to 1972. She devoted the following years to her family, and to political activities at the municipal and cantonal levels in Geneva, where she was particularly active in the field of education and training.

Ambassador Paul Ruegger, who died in Florence on 9 August 1988 at the age of 91, was President of the International Committee of the Red Cross from 1948 to 1955 and continued to be an active member of the Committee from 1955 to 1973. Following his retirement to Florence in 1973 he still took a close interest in day-to-day international events, in particular those concerning the ICRC, of which he remained an honorary member.

The Twenty-fifth International Conference of the Red Cross, held in Geneva in October 1986, revised the 1952 Statutes of the International Red Cross, most of whose provisions dated back to 1928. The Conference thus adopted two drafts which had been submitted for its consideration, respectively entitled “Statutes of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement” and “Rules of Procedure” of the Movement.

From the beginning of the 20th century up to the present, international law has been marked by a profound evolution: it has been progressively humanized. Those responsible for drafting international law have clearly understood that it could no longer disregard the fate of human beings and leave to States and their internal laws the protection of fundamental human rights, both in peacetime and during armed conflicts.

At this stage of the discussion on development within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, I shall limit my remarks to a number of general considerations and shall conclude with an attempt to define development, giving an interpretation of its principal aspects.

In response to invitations by the Red Cross Societies of Norway and Sweden and the respective governments of these countries, ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga visited Oslo from 24 to 26 January and Stockholm from 27 to 29 January 1988.

In Norway, the President had talks with leaders of the Norwegian Red Cross, notably Mr. Björn Bruland, President, HRH Crown Princess Sonja, Vice-President, Mr. Odd Grann, Secretary General, Mr. A. Torbjornsen, head of the International Department, and Mr. J. Egeland, head of Information. Mr. Sommaruga also had meetings with the following representatives of the Norwegian Government and public administration: Mr. Gunnar Berge, Minister for Finance, Mrs. Gjesteby, Secretary of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and Mrs. E. Nordbó, Secretary of State to the Prime Minister.

Public attention is being focused worldwide on the 125th anniversary of the International Red Cross, a milestone in the evolution of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

When celebrating an anniversary, it is customary to look back into the past for a clearer understanding and appraisal of the present, and to gain insight into the future. This is particularly important as regards the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which is one of the most significant manifestations of humanism, symbolizing the recognition that society must uphold human dignity as the supreme universal value, and the desire to avert or relieve human suffering and safeguard human life and health.

ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga paid an official visit to Japan from 6 to 14 December 1987.

The President, accompanied by Mr. Hans Spiess, ICRC honorary delegate for Japan, Mr. Peter Küng, head of the regional delegation (Far East) and Mr. Cédric Neukomm, delegate responsible for dissemination and co-operation in Asia, first participated in a symposium on the theme “From small peace to large peace”, which was organized by the Japanese Red Cross Society in collaboration with the NHK television station and the newspaper Asahi Shimbun and sponsored by the Union Bank of Switzerland.

The International Museum of the Red Cross was inaugurated on 29 October 1988 in the presence of Swiss federal and cantonal government representatives, members of the permanent missions to the United Nations Office in Geneva and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the League and many National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The Museum, initially conceived to provide the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement with a means of becoming better known, attracting funds and inspiring young people, is the outcome of twelve years of tireless effort. Its purpose is not only to document the creation and expansion of the Movement, but also and above all to pay tribute to man's humanity throughout the centuries. As underscored by Mr. Otto Stich, President of the Swiss Confederation, who cut the inaugural ribbon, the International Museum of the Red Cross is “a testimony to the deed, the word or the look that, in the midst of war, violence and disaster, assists and saves”.

This is an accurate portrayal of the Museum, which emphasizes humanitarian endeavours rather than war and violence.

Mr. Otto Stich, President of the Swiss Confederation, visited on 11 August 1988 the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Mr. Otto Stich was received by the President of the ICRC, Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga, together with members of the Committee and senior ICRC staff.

At its meeting of 28 and 29 September 1988 the Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross co-opted Mr. Jacques Moreillon as a member of the Committee. This appointment will take effect from 1 November 1988, at which time Mr. Moreillon will have left his current post as Director General at the ICRC.

The Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Mr. Franz Vranitzky, visited on 2 February 1988 the International Committee of the Red Cross, where he was received by Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the institution, and several members of the Committee.

In his speech of welcome, the President of the ICRC thanked the Federal Chancellor for the support that the Republic of Austria gives to the ICRC. He also recalled the fact that the large number of conflict situations in the world demands constant diplomatic support, in the interest of the victims, especially from neutral countries.

In view of the impending departure of Mr. Jacques Moreillon, Director General, the Assembly of the International Committee of Red Cross, the institution's highest-ranking body, decided at a meeting on 30 June 1988 on a new structure for the ICRC Directorate and made the necessary appointments.

We can say from experience that the ideas put forward in the document “Strategy for the development of National Societies in the Eighties” have served as a reference in the preparation of our general plans for the periods 1980–1985, 1982–1986 and 1987–1990.