Statement by Mr Wegger Chr Strømmen
Permanent Representative of Norway
Mr Chairman,
I would first like to express my gratitude both to you Mr Chairman and to the Swiss Government for the efforts you have made with regard to the question of the emblems. I sincerely hope that your endeavors will help us to finally reach a comprehensive and consensus-based solution to this issue at this Diplomatic Conference.
My Government is a staunch and committed supporter of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. We see an enormous value in its humanitarian action, and as a guarantor of International humanitarian law. In line with our long-standing commitments to humanitarian principles and to international law, we have invested in and developed over the years, a strong partnership with the movement.
The potentially divisive problem of the emblem has followed the movement since its early years. Many attempts have been made to unite universality and unity for the benefit of the protection of victims of war and natural disasters. It should be recalled that the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2003 confirmed the broad consensus on the substance of the adoption of a third additional protocol.
As stakeholders of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, it is in our common interest to safeguard its future unity and to ensure that its neutrality and protective capacity is not undermined. It is our hope, that the intensive consultations conducted by Switzerland with a view to the adoption of a Third additional protocol, will indicate that the conditions for the achievement of the desired consensus on the question of the emblems are present.
I would therefore like to express the Norwegian Government’s commitment to finding a solution that would finally ensure the universality of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, while in the same time safeguarding unity of the movement, neutrality and thereby the protective force of the emblem. I would like to appeal to all State Parties to help build agreement around the desire for such an approach, in order to adopt the present draft to the third additional Protocol at this Diplomatic Conference.
Thank you