The questions facing the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement today are no different from those with which the Movement began: What is the best way to help? How can we give immediate aid and also provide long-term protection? To answer these questions we have to go back to the early years of the Movement.

Throughout history man has been exposed to all kinds of disasters; but in modern times mankind has become aware of its responsibility towards those struck by disasters, and of its increased capability of coping with their consequences. Out of this growing awareness arose the concept of humanitarian assistance as a reflection of solidarity; this was followed by the formulation of legal rules governing such activity. Parallel to the need to provide humanitarian assistance is the corresponding right to such assistance.

Increasingly a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) appear to be demanding the right to provide humanitarian assistance and at the same time the right to denounce any violations of human rights. Whereas these are fine and understandable aspirations, they do not coincide with accepted principles of relief law and practice. This short article will explore certain aspects of this subject, primarily in relation to the treaty law applicable to circumstances of armed conflict and in occupied territories (International Humanitarian Law).

Humanitarian assistance in armed conflict and other disasters can involve a great variety of institutions and participants all operating simultaneously, including national civil defence organizations, military units, Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, international governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Governed as it is by the very nature of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, an emergency mission is more than a mere effort to restore essential services. Although it is undoubtedly best characterized by the relief activities set in motion during the acute phase, its full scope cannot be measured without taking into account the preparatory and subsequent rehabilitation and development phases.

Such a mission thus consists invariably of three stages: preliminary, in situ and follow-up.

The ICRC Medical Division, established in November 1977, works for the war wounded, for prisoners, for the civilian population and for the war disabled. Its essential purpose is to keep the victims alive, alleviate their suffering and prevent their sicknesses or wounds from ruining the rest of their lives.

In his summary of ICRC activities during his term of office, (1976–1987) President Alexandre Hay said last May, “The medical sector, completely embryonic when I arrived, has developed considerably and has now achieved a highly praiseworthy quality and dimension. The ICRC and the victims of conflicts owe a great deal to the spirit of initiative, devotion and competence of its doctors”.

The Review is particularly pleased to publish the following article by Dr. Remi Russbach, Chief Medical Officer of the ICRC, who traces the evolution of the Medical Division in the past ten years, emphasizing not only the progress achieved in the execution of its programmes but dealing as well with the problems which the ICRC has had to face in this domain.

On 31 August 1987 the Vice-President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Justice A.K.M. Nurul Islam, visited ICRC headquarters, where he was received by the institution's President, Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga.

In his welcoming speech, the ICRC President paid tribute to Mr. Nurul Islam, who is also Justice Minister of Bangladesh and a former Chairman of the National Red Cross Society, as a special partner in the dissemination of international humanitarian law.

Following the appalling massacres in Homoine and Manjacaze on 18 July and 10 August, the ICRC appealed to all the combatants in the conflict in Mozambique to put a stop to such atrocities. In a press release of 14 August, the ICRC reminded those involved in the conflict that one of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law is that civilians—especially women, children and old people—must be respected, together with hospitals and hospital staff; in short, all those not taking part in the fighting must be spared.