ROME, NOVEMBER 6 – The Italian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emanuela Del Re, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, and the Secretary General of the Italian Red Cross, Flavio Ronzi, opened a photo exhibit in Rome inspired by the 70th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
The images on display were shot by the winners of the ICRC “Humanitarian Visa d’or Award”. Speaking during a panel focused on the history of the Red Cross, Del Re reaffirmed Italy’s ambition to remain at the forefront of humanitarian action, ready to continue supporting civilian populations caught in armed conflicts. “70 years of the Geneva Conventions are an important milestone. There is a profound crisis in humanitarian action. The Red Cross is a strategic partner in which we firmly believe,” said the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Peter Maurer spoke of this 70th anniversary as an opportunity for critical reflection: “The anniversary of the Geneva Conventions is an opportunity to reflect: they are culture and medicine for social growth. 70 years after we must reflect on what was achieved and the challenges that await us”.
“The 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions serves to remember the many humanitarian workers under attack. If we fail to protect those who deliver aid we will not be able to save humanity,” said Ronzi.
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term Geneva Convention usually denotes the agreements of 1949, negotiated in the aftermath of the Second World War , which updated the terms of the two 1929 treaties, and added two new conventions.
The Conventions extensively defined the basic rights of wartime prisoners (civilians and military personnel), established protections for the wounded and sick, and established protections for the civilians in and around a war-zone.(SB@OnuItalia)
