Fundamental Principles 2065 What issues will test the Fundamental Principles in 50 years’ time? Bouncing back How communities in the Philippines are helping to redefi ne the word ‘resilience’ Cases of identity Red Cross Red Crescent A former detainee, visited by the ICRC 40 years ago, searches for the truth Issue 1 . 2015 www.redcross.int Humanity Voluntary Impartiality Facing a service dilemma… what would Neutrality you do? Unity Independence Universality
Matters of principle
THE MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT MOVEMENT
E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd i 28.04.15 14:14 The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is made up of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the National Societies.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The International Committee of the Red The International Federation of Red Cross National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Cross is an impartial, neutral and independent and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the embody the work and principles of the organization whose exclusively humanitarian world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian International Red Cross and Red Crescent mission is to protect the lives and dignity of network, reaching 150 million people each year Movement in more than 189 countries. National victims of armed confl ict and other situations of through its 189 member National Societies. Societies act as auxiliaries to the public authorities violence and to provide them with assistance. Together, the IFRC acts before, during and of their own countries in the humanitarian fi eld The ICRC also endeavours to prevent suff ering by after disasters and health emergencies to meet and provide a range of services including disaster promoting and strengthening humanitarian law the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable relief, health and social programmes. During and universal humanitarian principles. Established people. It does so with impartiality as to wartime, National Societies assist the aff ected in 1863, the ICRC is at the origin of the Geneva nationality, race, gender, religious beliefs, class civilian population and support the army medical Conventions and the International Red Cross and and political opinions. Guided by Strategy 2020 services where appropriate. Red Crescent Movement. It directs and coordinates — a collective plan of action to tackle the major the international activities conducted by the humanitarian and development challenges of Movement in armed confl icts and other situations this decade — the IFRC is committed to ‘saving of violence. lives and changing minds’.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is guided by seven Fundamental Principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.
All Red Cross and Red Crescent activities have one central purpose: to help without discrimination those who suff er and thus contribute to peace in the world.
E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd ii 28.04.15 14:14 Guest editorial: The Fundamental Principles at 50 Guiding lights through many dilemmas N 2015, the International Red Cross and After the Second World War, both the ICRC Red Crescent Movement celebrates the and the IFRC sought to set these principles 50th anniversary of the adoption of the down in a form that would be universally IFundamental Principles of the Red Cross accepted. The momentum for decisive and Red Crescent. Since 1965, the Funda- progress came from Jean Pictet’s book mental Principles — humanity, impartiality, Red Cross Principles, published in 1955. Fol- neutrality, independence, voluntary ser- lowing its publication, the ICRC and the vice, unity and universality — have guided IFRC set up a joint commission, which set National Societies, the ICRC and the IFRC down the principles in a declaration con- when they faced diffi cult choices. taining seven articles. This declaration was Photo: IFRC Photo: adopted by the International Conference As the fi rst representative of the ICRC in However, it would be mistaken to believe of the Red Cross in Vienna in 1965. Cambodia after the genocide perpetrated that the Fundamental Principles originated by the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979), I with this formal adoption. From the very This declaration of the Fundamental myself was confronted with a delicate situ- outset, the Movement consciously fol- Principles represented a charter for the ation that had to be decided in the light of lowed a number of fundamental principles Movement. On the one hand, it permit- the Fundamental Principles. (To read these dictated by the mission assigned to it and ted the adoption of a universally accepted principles in their entirety, see page 4.) refl ected in the resolutions of the founding statement of the principles that the Move- conference of 1863, which gave birth to the ment had advocated from the start without As we were discussing with the govern- Red Cross. These principles were also re- actually agreeing on their defi nition. On ment in Phnom Penh about putting in place fl ected in article 6 of the original Convention the other, it gave these principles new legal a vast relief action in favour of the genocide for the Amelioration of the Condition of the eff ect, making them a source of duties for survivors, several tens of thousands of refu- Wounded in Armies in the Field of August all the components of the Movement. gees were in eff ect stuck at the border with 1864, which marked also the creation of con- Thailand. They were still inside Cambodia, temporary international humanitarian law. Although states are not directly bound in territory controlled by the Khmer Rouge. by the Fundamental Principles, they are Their situation was dramatic and the ICRC Thereafter, there were numerous refer- required, by virtue of the statutes of the decided to come to their aid. The govern- ences to the fundamental principles. Since International Red Cross and Red Crescent ment of Phnom Penh saw this operation as 1869, in order to be accepted as members Movement, to respect the duty that the a violation of their national sovereignty and of the Movement, new National Societies components of the Movement have to ob- they threatened to expel the ICRC if it didn’t were required to observe the fundamen- serve them. cease the relief operations via Thailand. The tal principles. On the other hand, until the ICRC therefore faced a diffi cult choice that Second World War, the Movement made For the Movement, the principles have it resolved in light of the principle of Impar- little eff ort towards reaching a universally served as an extraordinarily effective tiality. (To read about how the ICRC resolved accepted formulation of those principles. guide during these past 50 years, as dem- this situation, see page 10.) onstrated by our experiences in Cambodia While the Movement was constant in laying in 1979. Since we have had these principles, This example highlights the importance claim to these fundamental principles, it on which we depend, we should do noth- of the Fundamental Principles. Of all the appeared unwilling, or unable, to set them ing to weaken their authority. We should resolutions adopted at International Con- down in a form that would be binding on be ready, however, to continue to analyse ferences of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, all its members. The drawbacks of this situ- the fashion in which they are put into ac- the resolution concerning these principles ation became brutally apparent during the tion and continue to put them into practice is the most important, the one most often Second World War, when references to the in all our actions. referred to and the one that has most fundamental principles failed to prevent strongly contributed to guiding the work of serious abuses from being committed by By François Bugnion the Movement and ensuring its coherence. certain components of the Movement. Member of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 1 28.04.15 14:16 In brief...
A deadly start of 2015 for violent incidents, including several Bangui, capital of the Central humanitarians who were attacked while working African Republic, before violence A series of deadly attacks took the to combat the spread of Ebola virus erupted and claimed the life of lives of 11 Movement workers in the disease. her father. Now she lives in a camp fi rst quarter of 2015. All were killed for displaced people. “More than in the act of helping others. Ebola claims Red Cross 50 unaccompanied children live • Two brothers working for the here, some of whom do not know Yemen Red Crescent Society workers lives their own names, let alone those The Ebola virus disease claimed (YRCS) were shot while evacuating of their parents,” says Mathias the life of a Sierra Leone Red Cross wounded people in the southern Yadjemai, who oversees the camp. Society nurse, who was working at port city of Aden on 3 April. He is grateful for the support of the the IFRC Ebola treatment centre in Three days earlier, another YRCS Central African Red Cross Society, Kenema, Sierra Leone, in January. volunteer was shot while coming which has provided blankets, This was the fi rst death of a Red to the aid of the wounded. sleeping mats, plastic buckets, solar Cross volunteer or staff member • Two Syrian Arab Red Crescent lamps and collapsible jerrycans, in Sierra Leone since response (SARC) volunteers were killed the purchased through a revised IFRC operations were launched in April same day while retrieving dead emergency appeal in support of 2014. bodies and preparing shelters for the National Society. Photo: Lene Vendelbo/IFRC A total of 144 national and 19 people fl eeing fi ghting in Idlib, L international staff work at the IFRC’s More than one-third of Malawi was Syria. Kenema centre, where they have More than 1 million devastated by the country’s worst • A Palestine Red Crescent Society cared for more than 500 patients fl ooding in decades after weeks of heavy volunteer was shot on 30 March displaced in Nigeria since it opened in September. Roughly 1.2 million people have rains in January. With more rain expected, while working at the Yarmouk Then, in late March, a volunteer fl ed their homes due to fi ghting and the IFRC launched a US$ 2.8 million camp in Syria. (Since the beginning ambulance driver for the Red Cross violence in the northern Nigeria, appeal to help 42,000 desperate people of the Syrian confl ict, 42 SARC Society of Guinea succumbed to the with more than 200,000 of them and support emergency operations of the and eight Palestine Red Crescent disease, bringing the total number seeking refuge in neighbouring Malawi Red Cross Society, which is already volunteers have died while of Movement deaths caused by Cameroon, Chad or Niger. The IFRC aiding thousands of destitute people. carrying out their duties). Ebola since April 2014 to four. and the ICRC have stepped up their “People have lost everything,” says • Also on 30 March, an ICRC staff In all cases, volunteers and staff response and are working with Michael Charles, IFRC’s acting regional member was killed and a member are deployed only after they have National Societies to deliver food, representative in southern Africa. “They of the Mali Red Cross injured when been fully trained and have the water, shelter, health care and to don’t know where their next meal is their ICRC truck was attacked near proper protective equipment. More help people maintain contact with coming from.” the northern Malian city of Gao. than 10,000 volunteers have been family members. • A few days earlier, a Myanmar Red active in Red Cross Red Crescent Cross volunteer died from wounds actions against Ebola since the sustained 38 days earlier when the outbreak began. Red Cross convoy he was travelling Humanitarian index with was attacked in Northern 7.0: The magnitude of the 713: Number of bodies returned Shan State, Myanmar. Future holds little earthquake that struck Haiti fi ve to family members by Afghan Red • In February, two staff and one promise for Iraq’s years ago (12 January 2010) leaving Crescent volunteer Malik Abdul volunteer from the Sudanese Red displaced 222,570 people dead, 300,572 Hakim in the last seven years, Crescent Society were killed, and As new waves of violence in Iraq injured and 2.3 million displaced.* according a January 2015 report in another volunteer wounded, in an have led to the displacement of 9.1: The magnitude of the The New York Times. (See page 4.) attack in Blue Nile State. more than 1.9 million Iraqis, the Iraqi earthquake off the northern coast of 800: Number of children reunited In addition, numerous volunteers Red Crescent Society has come to Sumatra, Indonesia, that triggered with their families (including and staff have been injured in other their aid while continuing to help a tsunami, which swept across the almost 300 formerly associated Syrians who have taken refuge Indian Ocean, killing more than with the armed forces and other there. The number of Syrians in 226,000 people and causing massive armed groups) by the ICRC in 2014 Iraq is estimated at 216,000, most destruction along coastal areas of 14 in the Democratic Republic of the Voices of whom are living in the Kurdish countries more than ten years ago Congo.**** “Our mission is to help region, which hosts the largest (26 December 2004).** 57,000: Homes built with Red refugee camps in the country. The 18: Number of people who died in the Cross Red Crescent funding in the human beings, not to IFRC and ICRC have also stepped Philippines during Typhoon Hagupit aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean up their actions to help displaced in December 2014, compared with tsunami.** leave them behind” people in Iraq. 6,300 who died as a result of Typhoon 2,817,154: Number of people Saboor Ahmed Kakar, national youth Haiyan in 2013. Various natural factors reached by community-based leader at the Pakistan Red Crescent Young lives turned as well as preparedness work by health and fi rst-aid activities in the Society, speaking about a dilemma he upside down government and the Philippine Red areas aff ected by the 2010 Haiti Cross may have played a role (see earthquake in the last ten years.* faced in which he had to decide whether Nine-year-old Benicia Anjikapou story, page 16).*** to accept army protection during an was living a normal life, going
emergency operation in 2009. to school and living with her Sources : *IFRC Haiti earthquake, fi ve-year progress report; See page 4. parents and four siblings near **IFRC/2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, 10 years on; ***Philippines Red Cross; ****ICRC.
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 2 28.04.15 14:16 Contents Issue 1 . 2015 . www.redcross.int
Q Cover story 4 Q Disaster risk reduction 16 Matters of principle Bouncing back The Fundamental Principles turn 50 years old this How communities in the Philippines are helping to year. What better time to examine the challenges redefi ne that now ubiquit ous humanitarian buzzword faced in putting these key guiding principles ‘resilience’ from the ground up, as they cope with into action? In this story, a volunteer from successive storms and other natural disasters. 4. Matters of principle Pakistan tells how what started as a routine food distribution mission revealed a series of dilemmas, Q Economic crisis and migration 20 questions and diffi cult choices. Hard times, new energy An early test of principle 10 A strategic crossroads between continents in the middle of the Mediterranean, the Republic of Following the genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Cyprus is coping with increasing migration in the Rouge regime, the ICRC launched its biggest ever midst of fi nancial crisis. aid operation in cooperation with UNICEF — and the Fundamental Principles, adopted in 1965, Q The missing 24 faced one of their fi rst big tests. Cases of identity A delicate balance 12 Patricio Bustos says visits from ICRC delegates 10. An early test of principle A National Society asks for your advice in how to when he was imprisoned in Chile in the 1970s balance its auxiliary role with local government likely saved his life. Now, as head of the country’s and the principle of independence. forensic services agency, he’s working, with help from the ICRC, to fi nd answers about what Q Focus 14 happened to those who disappeared during Fundamental Principles 2065 Chile’s years of dictatorship. Paris-based artist Pat Masioni imagines some of the issues that might confront the Fundamental Q Resources 29 Principles 50 years from now. Answers to your questions about international humanitarian law; a fi ve-year Haiti progress report; a brochure on explosive remnants of war; market 16. Bouncing back analysis for the humanitarian; and an animated video entitled ‘You probably don’t have Ebola if…’
Articles, letters to the editors and other correspondence We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of researchers and should be addressed to: support staff of the ICRC, the IFRC and National Societies. Red Cross Red Crescent The magazine is published three times a year in Arabic, Chinese, P.O. Box 303, CH-1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland English, French, Russian and Spanish and is available in 189 E-mail: [email protected] ISSN No. 1019-9349 countries, with a circulation of more than 70,000. Editor The opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily 20. Hard times, new energy Malcolm Lucard of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Production Offi cer Unsolicited articles are welcomed, but cannot be returned. Paul Lemerise Red Cross Red Crescent reserves the right to edit all articles. Articles and photos not covered by copyright may be reprinted without prior Design permission. Please credit Red Cross Red Crescent. Baseline Arts Ltd, Oxford, UK The maps in this publication are for information purposes only and Layout have no political signifi cance. New Internationalist, Oxford, UK Printed on chlorine-free paper by IRL Plus SA, Lausanne, Switzerland On the cover: For 50 years, the Fundamental Principles have guided the Movement through its humanitarian endeavours. Often, the realities Editorial board it confronts pose questions and challenges that must be navigated using ICRC IFRC the principles as guide and inspiration. Illustration by Piero Macola. Mohini Ghai Kramer Benoit Carpentier Dorothea Krimitsas Pierre Kremer Image credits (from top): Piero Macola; ICRC; Rommel Cabrera/IFRC; AFP 24. Cases of identity Sophie Orr Nina de Rochefort Photo/HO/Cyprus Defence Ministry; Hector Gonzalez de Cunco/IFRC.
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 3 28.04.15 14:16 Matters of principle TheThe FFundamentalundamentalP Principlesrinciples tturnurn 5500 yyearsears ooldld tthishis yyear.ear WhWhatat better time to examine the challenges faced in putting these key guiding principles into action? All illustrations/Piero Macola
The Fundamental Humanity Impartiality Neutrality The International Red Cross and Red Crescent It makes no discrimination as In order to continue to enjoy Principles of the Movement, born of a desire to bring assistance without to nationality, race, religious the confi dence of all, the discrimination to the wounded on the battlefi eld, beliefs, class or political Movement may not take sides in International endeavours, in its international and national capacity, opinions. It endeavours hostilities or engage at any time Red Cross and to prevent and alleviate human suff ering wherever it to relieve the suff ering of in controversies of a political, may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health individuals, being guided solely racial, religious or ideological Red Crescent and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes by their needs, and to give nature. Movement mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and priority to the most urgent cases 4 | RED CROSS RED CRESCENT | ISSUE 1 . 2015 lasting peace amongst all peoples. of distress.
E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 4 28.04.15 14:16 ICTURE YOURSELF as a volunteer carrying out a food distribution in a Speaking of principles rural community in Balochistan, Paki- Pstan, after a terrible fl ood. You are standing Malik Abdul Hakim is a living example of how the principles of neutrality and humanity can enable someone on top of a truck full of food parcels, so that to ease the suff ering of fellow human beings. Hakim’s main task, as recently featured in the New York Times, the assembled crowd can hear you better as is to deliver bodies of those killed in fi ghting back to their loved ones. He does this for people on all sides of you begin to speak. the Afghan confl ict. Suddenly, a gunshot rings out nearby. It “He collects the bodies of soldiers and police offi cers killed in areas of Taliban dominance and takes them startles and shocks you, and you fi nd your- home,” New York Times reporter Azam Ahmed wrote in the 5 January 2015 edition. “From government self staring at a gun. centers, he carries slain insurgents back to their families, negotiating roads laced with roadside bombs.” This was exactly the scenario that faced Hakim is able to do this, according to the story, because he gained a reputation for neutrality during his Pakistan Red Crescent Society volunteer tenure as a volunteer for the Afghan Red Crescent Society and for not taking sides in the political and military Saboor Ahmed Kakar as he and a team of battles raging in his war-torn country. Neutrality is one of the seven Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross volunteers tried to unload supplies from and Red Crescent Movement and it is a critical tool in helping people aff ected by crisis. a caravan of trucks in the fl ood-aff ected area. The operation was the turning point Movement-wide dialogue for Kakar: he had to confront a chain of dif- Around the world, these Fundamental Principles — humanity, fi cult choices that shaped what it meant impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity to be part of the Red Cross Red Crescent and universality — serve as an inspiration, guide and tool for Movement, how far he was willing to go enabling action and ensuring that people of all persuasions for its Fundamental Principles and how he trust the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement’s humanitarian could possibly apply them when forced to motivations. As we mark the 50th year since the adoption of the decide between imperfect solutions. seven principles as we know them today, an exploration of their contemporary application is more critical and relevant than ever. Why is this so? Since 1965, the humanitarian sector has expanded and diversifi ed dramatically. Today, thousands of organizations off er a wide array of assistance under a diverse range of operating principles — far from the situation when the Movement and a few other key organizations delivered the bulk of humanitarian aid. In recent decades, aid has also often been used as political tool, bundled with development programmes or military campaigns in order to win the hearts and minds of local populations. These trends have sometimes led to confusion, mistrust or even rejection of the core principles that enable eff ective humanitarian action. For our diverse Movement, the application of the principles in complex, politicized or even dangerous environments can also raise signifi cant challenges. Every day, Movement volunteers, staff and leadership face tough decisions in which the principles play a central role. For these reasons, a Movement-wide initiative was launched in 2013 to reinvigorate understanding of the principles by “fostering open, inclusive and constructive dialogue and debate across the Movement in order to generate a better common understanding of the relevance of the Fundamental Principles in today’s humanitarian action”. This dialogue is happening via public forums, debates, regional workshops within the Movement and webinars (see our website www.redcross.int for a list of links), and through promotional campaigns for World Red Cross Red Crescent Day on 8 May, and the 50th birthday of the Fundamental Principles in October. All this leads up to the 32nd International Conference of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in December, during which the principles will be a core theme for discussion and action. Red Cross Red Crescent magazine’s contribution begins with this cover story about a food distribution in which volunteers faced a series of tough choices related to the principles. We then asked other experienced humanitarians for their thoughts on the dilemmas these volunteers faced that day. We invite you tell us: what would you do? What have been your challenges and successes?
Independence Voluntary service Unity Universality The Movement is independent. The It is a voluntary relief movement not There can be only one Red Cross or one The International Red Cross and Red National Societies, while auxiliaries prompted in any manner by desire for Red Crescent Society in any one country. Crescent Movement, in which all in the humanitarian services of their gain. It must be open to all. It must carry on societies have equal status and share governments and subject to the laws its humanitarian work throughout its equal responsibilities and duties in of their respective countries, must territory. helping each other, is worldwide. always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance with the principles of the Movement. ISSUE 1 . 2015 | RED CROSS RED CRESCENT | 5
E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 5 28.04.15 14:16 area and made the usual arrangements for a distribution. As is often the case in such situations, when Kakar arrived at his destination with 25 trucks full of food parcels, the people clustered around the convoy to receive desperately needed supplies. But as the team was unloading, a man approached and introduced himself as a local leader. He said he knew who needed help the most and so he wanted to take over the cargo and distribute the food, thereby strengthening his prospects of winning upcoming local elections. Kakar knew that to accept this demand would compromise the principle of im- partiality, with distribution potentially proceeding according to certain people’s wishes or personal connections rather than family need. Kakar was very con- scious, therefore, of a tension between the principle of impartiality and the pos- A day of dilemmas unteer. It happened to be Kakar’s turn as sibility that the local leader might make it Kakar had joined a year earlier and by the team leader for the food distribution on diffi cult, or impossible, for the volunteers time the Damani dam broke in 2009, he that dramatic day. Before the distribution, to do their jobs that day, or to come back was an experienced and well-trained vol- the branch contacted local officials in the in the future.
The dilemma: then the people on the other side will of challenge so you always need to have suspect that you are not independent and diplomatic connections to make sure that impartial. You need all sides to trust you to you can provide the highest possible level what would complete your missions. of service. Fadi, a volunteer with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Salam Khorshid, Syrian Arab Red Crescent and you do? member of IFRC’s Youth Commission In putting the principles into action, Distribute the food there is not always a clear answer about yourself. Verify all It’s a risky situation, how to apply them in each context. information. It takes but I would say, To get perspective, we’ve asked some more time and we “I need to make experienced humanitarians to give are all impatient — the choice about their views on each dilemma that Kakar but in the long run it who is the most Photo: Erica Tong-Junod/Standing Commission Erica Tong-Junod/Standing Photo: faced that day. builds trust. vulnerable.” Perhaps Photo: ICRC Photo: Tore Svenning, head of secretariat, Standing I might off er them to I would tell the Commission of the Red Cross Red Crescent help us in some way, but only if we make local leader, the decision about who receives the aid. I “Thanks a lot for To give the leader the food would don’t know if it would have worked, but I your humanitarian compromise impartiality. So I would would try this negotiation. And if he says, feelings, but can turn his off er down in a diplomatic way. “No,” then I would probably say, “Halt the you tell me where I have to put the peoples’ needs fi rst, and distribution.” Photo: SARC Photo: those poor people make sure they get supplies according to Yves Daccord, Director General, ICRC are? Where do they live? We have to register their needs. Accepting this kind of off er them in our database and take information will also cause the from them. This is a long process and you loss of credibility need not to bother yourself with it.” You among the people. Fadi and Tore Svenning were responding to a should deal with all the parties, especially During any relief question about this dilemma posted by the magazine in times of war, from the same distance. operation, any on the Movement’s Fundamental Principles Facebook Because if you give relief supplies to one National Society page. What would you have done? Send your
leader, who represents one side or another, SARC Photo: will face this kind responses to [email protected].
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 6 28.04.15 14:16 Kakar’s decision there could guarantee their safety? So the But even with threats looming, the prin- Kakar decided impartiality took priority, as team faced their second dilemma: should ciple of humanity, the very reason Kakar the threat was only a possibility. Breaking they stay and distribute the food or turn had joined the Red Crescent, tugged at his the principle of impartiality would also con- the convoy around until the village and its conscience. “Yes, we had decided to pull fl ict with the principle of humanity, as the leaders could promise that the humanitar- out,” he recalls, “but my mission was to help people most in need might not receive food. ians would be safe? And even if they were human beings, not to leave them behind.” “I greatly honour you as a leader,” he told successful in unloading their trucks in an The volunteers agreed and asked staff the man, “and you are highly important to orderly way in accordance with the prin- for the decision to be reversed and for me, but I cannot give you these supplies as it ciples, would they be able to return with deliveries to resume. “It was only because is against our principles and ways of distribut- more supplies in coming days? of the courage of my colleagues and their ing food. If you are also a victim of fl oods, of In the end, the branch volunteers were dedication that I could work like this,” Kakar course we will give your family the support able to distribute the food following the recalls. “There were about 35 of us, every that we can in accordance to your need.” usual procedures. Once back at branch one very committed to the Fundamental The leader commanded his followers to headquarters, however, the team needed Principles. The incident was covered by the take over the trucks, but the community to discuss and think about the situation. media, and the National Society and our joined together to stop them. When the At first, they leaned towards stopping local branch supported our decision.” Q leader realized the community wasn’t with further distributions. “After the incident,” him, he gave an order and a bodyguard explains Kakar, “we said we would not By Ismael Velasco fi red a shot in the air. Kakar was grabbed work there any more, because our safety Ismael Velasco is CEO of the Adora Foundation, a non- by a villager and thrown off the truck to was more important.” profi t organization based in the United Kingdom. avoid further danger. Members of the com- munity fought and subdued the shooter and fi nally handed him to the police. The decision: what would you have done? For the moment, Kakar and his team What do you think of the comments made in response to the branch’s decision? Would you accept the army escort? What appeared to be out of danger. But who challenges have you faced in trying to put the Fundamental Principles into action? Tell us your story: [email protected].
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 7 28.04.15 14:16 Facing these dilemmas
Neutrality and independence in the fi ght against Ebola ate safety of our volunteers. It was also a concern for contagion because if they’ve N THE EARLY STAGES of the the government had been running the come in contact with the bodies and then Ebola virus disease outbreak, as safe and dignifi ed burials service, and at touch the volunteers it’s going to cause the Liberian Red Cross Society that time we were only supporting them, chaos.” [LRCS]“I took over the safe and dignifi ed we couldn’t change the rules straighta- What would you do in this situation? burials service, we had a real challenge way. Therefore, we weren’t able to use our How would you convince communities in the area of neutrality and the use of emblem on the vehicles. And because we that you are neutral and at the same time the emblem,” says Neima Candy, national weren’t visibly Red Cross, the trust in the convince the police to discontinue the es- Ebola virus disease coordinator for the community, which understands our neu- corts so that you can off er services under LRCS. “When we fi rst took over the service trality, just wasn’t there. As a result, we the Red Cross emblem? from the Ministry of Health, we inherited a experienced continued aggression. In dealing with the dilemma posed by policy of armed escorts for safety.” “In Liberia, the Red Cross has long-stand- obligatory police escorts, Candy says her This posed a serious challenge for the ing community respect because during team looked at this issue from two an- team because even in areas of violence the war (1999–2003), the Red Cross was gles. “Firstly, we wanted to let the people and armed confl ict, staff and volunteers providing burials. So people know that we know that we were Red Cross and why we of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement take care of this service. But because they weren’t using our emblem,” she says. “So avoid using escorts from police or armed couldn’t see we were the Red Cross and we increased our social mobilization ef- forces because the practice contradicts neutral, the existing mistrust (of govern- forts, especially in communities where we the Fundamental Principles of neutrality ment and health authorities), along with had had resistance. We raised awareness and independence. These principles aim the rumours about Ebola, meant that peo- about why we were picking up bodies and to ensure that people understand these ple often didn’t trust us and refused to let the risks associated with bodies remain- workers are not associated with any po- us do our job. Community members were ing in their homes and about how to avoid litical, military or security agenda and that saying, ‘You people are saying you are Red coming in contact with bodily fl uids. Fi- their motivations are purely humanitarian. Cross but we are not seeing a red cross’. nally, we also raised awareness that even “The challenge was that we could not “Sometimes they would even fight, though we came in unmarked cars, this automatically change the policy. Because which was a concern for the immedi- was a Red Cross team. “The second element was negotiat- ing with the police. At fi rst, they insisted that they must accompany us. Then we started having some cooperation, so we suggested that we do a trial run, collecting bodies without the armed escort. Because we didn’t have any resistance when we went out with just the emblem, the police agreed to stop coming. As we had been scaling up and taking on more responsi- bility, we were better able to engage with them gradually and diplomatically change the armed-escort policy. “Neutrality was central in making our decision, but because we had inherited government teams who didn’t have a Red Cross background, we had to work hard to brief those teams on the principle of impar- tiality. For instance, sometimes the teams would get a call that there was a body to pick up in their area, and it was sometimes diffi cult to teach some team members that they couldn’t prioritize that pick-up over others.” Q
Photo: LRCS Photo: As told to Anita Dullard, IFRC communications specialist.
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 8 28.04.15 14:16 … what would you do?
Neutrality at the munity support groups and asked local people to join. community level “These groups were comprised of com- munity members who displayed genuine N BELIZE, one of the most common interest in creating sustainability, security, dilemmas faced while working with com- accessibility to services and economic op- munities, no matter how large or small, is portunities for their community, without Ithe interference of politics in humanitarian a political agenda,” says Bowman. “Even action, says Lily Bowman, secretary general though they were from diff erent political, of the Belize Red Cross Society. “This causes religious and family backgrounds, they disparities among community members were willing to come together at a com-
and has contributed to tensions and con- Photo: Belize Red Cross Society mon table to address the problems and fl icts that have lasted many years. San Victor, for example, we are constructing needs in their community.” “When the Belize Red Cross began im- 20 elevated latrines to address the problem Group members were also introduced plementing the Resilience in the Americas of water contamination caused by fl oods, to the seven Fundamental Principles, in project in eight communities in northern as well as low-lying latrines for the elderly particular the principle of neutrality. Under Belize, the project team experienced fi rst and disabled. When the project team fi rst the guidance of the project team, group hand the challenges of working with peo- introduced the project, the San Victor com- members applied the principles to every ple divided by politics — a situation that munity was deeply divided politically. Many activity and every decision-making process truly hampered the neutral work of our or- community members were unwilling to and discussion. By doing so, they were able ganization. In the selection of benefi ciary interact with one another. The tension was to set aside their political diff erences and families, for example, if we spoke with heavy and it hampered our progress.” identify a list of the most vulnerable fami- people from one political party, then only What would you do? How do you lies, from both political parties, who should their party members would be selected. maintain the principles of neutrality and receive the latrines. The group is following The same was true if we spoke to those impartiality in such a highly partisan envi- a similar process in a project to create eco- from the other political party. There was ronment? nomic opportunities for young people. no focus on vulnerability or need. Getting past the political divides that Bowman says the struggle in other com- “In order to apply neutrality, however, split local communities in Belize took some munities continues, but there have been there can be no favouritism and one must creativity and hard work. To address this numerous successes by following models avoid political controversies. In the village of tension, the Belize Red Cross formed com- similar to this one. Q
Religious materials under the Red Cross roof?
ANISH RED CROSS volunteer and Christian denomination known for its ac- goodwill ambassador Torbjørn tive recruitment methods. I looked around ‘Thor’ Pedersen recently found the classroom and saw the same pamphlet Dhimself in an awkward position vis-à-vis lying on the tables of the other partici- the principles of neutrality and impartiality. pants. This outraged me as it strongly Now on a worldwide tour of every country confl icted with my understanding of the without taking an airplane, Pedersen al- Fundamental Principles.” ways visits the National Society and writes “I chose not to say anything during the about his experiences on his blog (www. class. Later when I was alone with the Red onceuponasaga.dk/blog). Cross youth leader I brought up the subject “One day I found myself visiting a Na- of the religious pamphlet. The leader re- Photo: Torbjørn Pedersen Torbjørn Photo: tional Society where, as always, I was marked that he was aware of this. However greeted with warmth and hospitality. he said the teacher was very good and had see that this was a problem. He just nod- While I was there, the National Society been a part of the Red Cross for many years ded his head and shrugged his shoulders. invited me to sit in on a leadership semi- as a volunteer educating young people. Personally, I think the local National Society nar for Red Cross youth. I sat down in the Besides, he said, the teacher never brought should keep the educator but tell him that classroom and was handed the same ma- up the issue of religion while teaching. Hav- the distribution of unrelated pamphlets terial as everyone else. To my surprise I ing in mind that I was a guest, I discreetly cannot take place under the Red Cross also found a pamphlet from an evangelical questioned the youth leader if he could roof.’’ Q
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 9 28.04.15 14:16 and UNICEF were the last organizations to leave Phnom Penh when it fell to the Khmer Rouge in 1975. Now returning for the fi rst An early test time in four years, they were shocked by what they saw. “The city was completely empty, com- pletely dead,” Bugnion recalls. “There were no telecommunications, no telephones, no vehicles in circulation. We had the feeling of principle of being in a country in a totally disastrous situation. In the aftermath of genocide in Cambodia, “We went into some hospitals where there was no material, no medicine and no the principle of impartiality faced one of doctors, because the doctors had all been killed. We went into some orphanages its greatest trials. where the people in charge didn’t know how to assure the survival of these children.” HEN ICRC DELEGATE François only two people, Bugnion and UNICEF’s The Cambodian government agreed in Bugnion took off for Phnom Jacques Beaumont, to come to Phnom principle to the proposed relief operation. Penh, Cambodia, in July of Penh to discuss the possibility of a mas- But it did not want there to be any foreign 1979,W six months after the fall of the sive relief plan. presence on the ground. Beaumont and Khmer Rouge, the seven Fundamental “The fi rst thing that staggered us was Bugnion explained that it would not be Principles as we know them today were when we were fl ying over the border into possible to launch a massive and com- less than 15 years old. While the main ten- Cambodia at low altitude,” recalls Bugn- plex operation without an experienced, ets of the principles pre-date their offi cial ion, now a member of the International international workforce. As a matter of adoption by the Movement in 1965, they Committee of the Red Cross. “In Viet Nam, principle, the international aid workers were nonetheless facing their fi rst trials each square metre was cultivated with had to be present to make proper assess- as offi cial guiding precepts of the entire rice paddies, like anywhere in South-East ments and to account for where the aid Movement. Asia, while in Cambodia, there was not a went. It was a question of accountability Bugnion’s experience in Cambodia was single fi eld cultivated. There was no trace and impartiality. certainly a case in point. Mistrustful of of human activity; the countryside was en- outside intervention after years of foreign tirely grey-brown.” The dilemma: a background interference, the new Cambodian au- Beaumont and Bugnion were allowed on interference thorities at fi rst hesitated before allowing into Cambodia largely because the ICRC The government ultimately agreed. But the real test was still to come. To fully appreci- ate the dilemma Bugnion and Beaumont would soon face, it’s important to un- derstand Cambodia’s reticence towards foreign intervention. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge, the country had finally emerged from a long period throughout which outside forces — from Asia and be- yond — had meddled with or controlled the country’s aff airs. In the decades following Cambodia’s independence from France in 1953, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, who led the country from 1960 to 1970, sought to remain neu- tral in the Cold War proxy confl ict that was tearing apart its neighbour Viet Nam. But not everyone agreed with Sihan- ouk’s neutrality given that the war going on in neighbouring Viet Nam was already spilling over Cambodia’s border. In 1970, Sihanouk was ousted and a new regime sought to stop North Viet Nam’s use of Cambodia as a means to transport supplies.
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 10 28.04.15 14:16 riod, there was no possibility for the ICRC to act [within Cambodia],” Bugnion recalls.
A dilemma for Impartiality Four years later, weakened by internal divisions, the Khmer Rouge fell to the Viet- namese forces, and the People’s Republic of Kampuchea was established. Six months after that, Beaumont and Bugnion were on the plane to Phnom Penh. But just as the two were negotiating a relief package with new Cambodian authorities, another situation was devel- oping near the Thai border. Seeking to escape the fi ghting, a massive exodus of refugees had been moving towards Thailand. At fi rst, Thailand accepted the refugees. But as the numbers grew, it closed the border, leaving thousands trapped in border zones inside Cambodia controlled by the Khmer Rouge. In response, the ICRC and UNICEF mounted a major relief action in favour of the trapped refugees. As neither organiza- tion could gain access to those refugees from the Cambodian side, they brought in supplies through Thailand. “When the government of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea learned of this, it reacted in an extremely strong fashion,” Bugnion recalls. “To a certain extent, it was L ICRC delegate François Bugnion during his mission to But because the new regime lacked cred- understandable. This was the reaction of Cambodia in 1979. Photo: ICRC ibility with the Cambodian population, the a government that was not recognized J An image taken during joint ICRC and UNICEF relief country quickly descended into civil war. by the international community and operations launched near the Cambodian border in 1979. The Khmer Rouge profi ted, taking control which had the feeling that these two hu- Photo: ICRC of nearly all Cambodia’s countryside. manitarian organizations were, in a sense, “During this civil war, the ICRC was pre- tramping their sovereignty. sent in Cambodia with large relief and “The government took a very fi rm po- medical programmes, as well as family re- sition, saying, ‘If you want to engage and unifi cation services and other activities,” collaborate with us, it must be only with “It was extremely troubling Bugnion recalls. “The ICRC and UNICEF us and you must stop all your operations because on the one hand we were the only two organizations that across the border’,” recalls Bugnion. It stayed until the Khmer Rouge took Phnom was not an idle threat: the authorities de- thought: it’s only by working Penh on 17 April 1975. manded their passports, granting them 48 with the government that we will “On that day, the capital, which had a more hours inside the country. population of 2 million people, was com- “It was extremely troubling because be able to assist the majority of pletely emptied. There were no exceptions, on the one hand we thought: it’s only by people living in Cambodia. But neither for those injured in the war, nor the working with the government that we elderly, nor young women who had just will be able to assist the majority of peo- who are we to eff ectively ignore given birth the night before.” ple living in Cambodia. But who are we to the situation of several tens of Without functioning institutions, a eff ectively ignore the situation of several monetary system and no viable economy, tens of thousands of people, who are in an thousands of people, who are in an people had to fend for themselves. Many even worse situation?” even worse situation?” were executed or sent to work camps. François Bugnion, speaking about one of the greatest Some 2 million people were killed — What would you have done in this situation? To fi nd dilemmas concerning the Fundamental Principles he roughly 25 per cent of the country’s then out how François Bugnion and the ICRC responded, faced during his career with the ICRC. population of 8 million. “During that pe- turn to page 13.
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 11 28.04.15 14:17 considerable pressure caused by an un- folding, widespread disaster. Throughout, branch staff cooperated with local authori- ties on a daily basis, responding to a wide A delicate range of urgent needs. Local offi cials and benefi ciaries saw fi rst-hand the effi ciency of the National Society’s distribution sys- tem, the ability of its workers to manage the registration of those receiving aid, as balance well as the enthusiasm and commitment Weighing independence with the auxiliary role to government. of its staff and volunteers. Now, almost a year after that crisis, the VER SINCE ARMA ORUC took the Things started to turn around after branch Zenica branch — as well as branches in helm of the Zenica branch of Red activities such as blood donation and fi rst nearby Bijeljina and Brcko — enjoy more Cross Society of Bosnia and Herze- aid captured the attention of the media, respect and better recognition for their Egovina (BiH) fi ve years ago, the branch has which brought wider recognition of the work, by both local communities and au- slowly built up a reputation among the branch’s contributions to the community. thorities. For this reason Oruc feels more community and local authorities as a criti- Ultimately, the branch’s eff orts paid off confi dent in approaching local authorities cal service and important partner during and local authorities allocated the branch with proposals aimed at improving coop- times of crisis. an annual budget of approximately US$ eration and strengthening the auxiliary But it hasn’t been easy. Local authori- 8,000. status of the National Society at branch ties have not always seen the branch as a Then, in May last year, the organiza- level. One key aim, she says, is for the Zenica partner in preparing for and responding tion was thrust into the spotlight when branch to become part of the area’s offi cial to natural disaster, while for many years, the worst fl oods in a century hit BiH and civil protection team, which coordinates the branch was unable to get access several other countries in the region. The preparations for crisis and emergency re- to badly needed government funding. situation required fast decisions under the sponse. She would like to see the branch Balancing act
The dilemmas that aid workers face based on the principles are often described as a balancing act. Here is a case in point: a community on one side of a confl ict asks why you are giving more aid to the other side. “Because they have greater need and the principle of impartiality requires us to help the most vulnerable fi rst and provide assistance in proportion to the need,” you explain. They respond by saying: “Either you provide us with more equal amounts of aid or we will no longer see you as neutral in this confl ict and you will no longer be able to operate in our territory.” What do you do?
Neutrality Impartiality To demonstrate neutrality, one option is to In this scenario, maintaining strict adherence set up more operations in the less-aff ected to impartiality would mean losing the trust and side so that trust and access to this population acceptance on one side of the confl ict, as well are maintained. This might confl ict with the as access to people in need in the territory they principle of impartiality but it could be a better control. It could also lead to larger perception alternative than losing access to all those in issues that might aff ect future aid operations. need on one side of the confl ict. On the other hand, how far can you go in compromising on this essential principle?
Humanity As all the consequences of your decisions are being weighed in the balance, the principle of humanity, which calls on us “to prevent and alleviate human suff ering wherever it may be found”, underlines your considerations and deliberations.
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 12 28.04.15 14:17 become an equal and independent partner in preparation and response; now, during crisis, there is a tendency to take direction from civil protection offi cials. The Zenica branch, therefore, faces a challenge common to many Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies: how to forge a close working relationship with local authorities while retaining autonomy in its humanitarian actions. Q
By Andreea Anca Andreea Anca is a senior communications offi cer for the IFRC.
What would you do? How would you advise Oruc so that her branch can operate in accordance with the Fundamental Principle of independence, which acknowledges that National Societies “are auxiliaries in the humanitarian service of their governments” but says they must also “maintain their autonomy”? Send your responses to all these questions to [email protected]. They will be considered for publication in the next edition. L Arma Oruc, head of the Zenica branch of Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Photo: Andreea Anca/IFRC
An early test of principle says. “But if we decided not to assist people that we could help, then that was our decision. From that standpoint the decision was made: we took the risk. “So I returned to Cambodia with the authorization from the ICRC leadership to pursue the operations across the Thai border and the approval for a plan of action for the most extensive rescue operation ever attempted by the ICRC. It had a budget of US$ 110 million, which represented 3.5 times the global budget of the ICRC for the previous year.” The objective was to feed 3 million people, completely re-equip the hospitals and clinics, and import seeds and tools to restart agriculture, among other things. “The counterpart to all of that would be that we would be fi rm on the question of respect of the principle of impartiality.” Upon their return to Cambodia, Beaumont and Bugnion met with the Minister of Foreign Aff airs. Ultimately, the minister agreed with the plan of action, under the condition that discussion regarding the operations on the Thai border continue. “In short, he agreed to separate the question of trans-border operations Photo: ICRC from the rest of the operation,” Bugnion recalls. (continued from page 11) After the ultimatum in Phnom Penh, Beaumont and “What is interesting to me is that confronted with this dilemma, and seeing Bugnion returned to Geneva for consultations with the ICRC and UNICEF. “The that international humanitarian law didn’t clearly indicate the path to follow, ICRC was divided,” says Bugnion, “but fi nally we agreed that this was not really it was truly on the basis of the Fundamental Principles that the ICRC ultimately an issue of international humanitarian law, but a problem of the respect of the solved the problem. Fundamental Principles; specifi cally the principle of impartiality would guide us “This experience is useful relative to other situations where we are put under in this particular case. The principle of impartiality compelled us to continue the pressure, where we are told not to help certain people who are under the power cross-border operations, in spite of issues of state sovereignty and of threats of of a political body that has not yet been recognized,” Bugnion suggests. “For expulsion from the country.” example, in cases of civil war when governments say: ‘You can only help those It was a risky balance. But in the end, it came down to a simple calculation: who are under our control, not those who are under control of our adversaries.’ “If the government decided to expel us, that would be their decision,” Bugnion From this point of view it was an important precedent.”
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 13 28.04.15 14:17 As the Movement marks the 50th anniversary of the Fundamental Principles this year, this illustrated series by Paris-based artist Pat Masioni imagines some of the issues that might confront their use 50 years from now.
Field report: By Nora Bendali, HHumanitarianumanitarian actionaction emergency medical technician. As Æ ood waters Å lled the automated, unmanned detention centre, the Red Cross Red Crescent robo-dog was able to pull me and about 50 detainees 22065065 to safety. But the rescue put us in a difÅ cult position with an anonymous armed faction running the detention centre, which accused us of violating our neutrality by rescuing the trapped prisoners.
You say you are neutral, but you let our prisoners escape...
We had no choice, they would have drowned and there was no one running the detention centre to help them. These people were found without personal data implants. This is illegal here. We will come today to reclaim them…
Field report: The state of Colono has used genetic therapy and other technology to extend human life. Many people remain active for more than 150 years. But a mysterious disease is claiming thousands of lives. The state refuses international help and says the Movement can only help those aged 100 years or less or whose But that is just one of the biometric proÅ le indicates challenges facing the Movement… more than 40 years of life ahead of them.
Look, in our county But science allows us to be even more people live long and great impartial and more humane. Biometric lives; there is a price for data tell us who will survive. So in the that if crisis comes. end, we help more people…
But with outside support, we can help everyone…
But this goes against our Yeah, but what happens basic principles of humanity when your support goes and impartiality. We must away? How will we care help those most in need. for everyone then?
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 14 28.04.15 14:17 Meanwhile, reports are coming in that thousands are Á eeing the À ghting in Solano and going into the ‘dead I have a solution. It·s time to deploy Hank. I wasn·t there. But zone·, an area contaminated by biological agents during I·ve spent the last 25 years working to À x an attack on the former city of Tagalan. Hank, the robot? I·m not so sure. those glitches. You·re too young to remember 2039. They have to be warned!
If we can set up shelters just outside the hot zone, maybe we can get them to come back.
But how? Communications are down and we don·t have enough bio-protection suits to make a meaningful intervention.
25 years earlier, the À rst robot humanitarians were The robots we have today are different. deployed along with about 100 humanitarian workers in Hank, Version 10.0, for example, is neutral protective gear following an attack on a nuclear power and impartial. He can assess situations station. Before the attack, people had used to robots as dispassionately, offer immediate medical analysis slaves. Technical failures plagued the operation and many and support, and speak and listen to people in who encountered the robot-humanitarians felt insulted. many languages… We have 50 of them ready. Many robots were destroyed.
Yeah, but humanity can·t be programmed into a machine!
No, but these robots can also be operated by remote- control, with a human operator making all the I don·t like it. Part of being decisions, remotely… humanitarian means being close to the people in need. We·ve forgotten that…
This isn·t a time for And so a troupe of humanitarian robots, Hank version 10.0, march off into the dead zone. nostalgia. This is a Their mission: to convince people to return to safety. Will they accomplish their mission? time to save lives.
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 15 28.04.15 14:17 Bouncing back How communities in the Philippines for us and Ruby [Hagupit] really scared us because of the constant heavy rain and wind. are helping to redefi ne that ubiquitous “After Typhoon Haiyan, people have been listen- ing to what we tell them,” she says. “I tell them that humanitarian buzzword ‘resilience’ through if we work together we can become more resilient.”
cooperation and concrete action as they cope Defi ning and demonstrating resilience with successive natural disasters. But what does it mean to be resilient in a country that experiences an average of 20 major tropical storms a year? In international humanitarian circles, STHER VIERON, 63, lives in a close-knit fi shing the term ‘resilience’ has become a favoured buz- community on an isolated part of the West zword among donors, humanitarian organizations Samar coast in the Philippines, surrounded by and development agencies seeking to fi nd better Emangroves that provide shelter for fi sh and fi shing and more proactive ways to reduce the suff ering boats alike. and losses caused by disasters and crisis. L After natural disaster strikes, Despite the community’s entrenched poverty, Generally, resilience refers to the ability of people it is often the resilience of Vieron remembers a time when even poor people or things to absorb shocks, to be fl exible and able to local communities, which could ‘bounce back’ from a disaster more easily. adapt to changing circumstances. In the Philippines, shoulder the greatest burden “When I was young there was an abundance of the word for resilience translates literally as ‘bounce in rebuilding their homes, lives food, but climate change and loss of land to con- back’, a term that is often used after natural disasters. and livelihoods, that makes the greatest diff erence. As part of struction is making our day-to-day struggle harder,” Since Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, the most power- a global Movement initiative she says, adding that these days, with more and ful storm ever to make landfall, and several other called the One Billion Coalition more ferocious storms and a growing population, powerful typhoons in 2014, the local defi nition of for Resilience, the Red Cross it’s getting harder to start over. resilience has evolved. When speaking of building Red Crescent Movement has “The storm of 1969 was a bad one, it took many or enhancing resilience, the Philippine defi nition called on all stakeholders “to lives,” says Vieron, who retired from local politics now might also include something like this: multiple engage and support” eff orts to strengthen community resilience some time ago, but remains a highly committed and levels of society working together (on weather mon- in concrete and systematic ways. respected Philippine Red Cross community volun- itoring, storm-warning, evacuation plans, better Photo: Rommel Cabrera/IFRC teer. “Even so, typhoon Haiyan was the eye-opener home building, economic initiatives and community
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 16 28.04.15 14:17 awareness, among other things) to strengthen peo- pre-emptive evacuations seriously. They stock up “It is time for the ple’s ability to cope with severe shocks. with food and they know how to secure their prop- world to embed Following Haiyan, the Philippines government erty and livestock well before the storm arrives. called for a ‘whole-society’ approach in which Haiyan was also a hard lesson for emergency resilience… into people and agencies at all levels and in all sectors responders. The Philippine Red Cross is used to op- the industrialization become involved. The Philippine Red Cross, with erating in many locations and responding to natural support from its in-country Movement partners, is disasters, but coming as it did straight after a major process and the following a similar tack, forging relationships with earthquake (Bohol), Haiyan tested the organization’s development of communities by liaising with local leaders and re- capacity to the limit and prompted a rethink about cruiting, training and equipping volunteers to work future responses. towns and cities, with their local recovery committees. This usually Eric Salve, head of disaster management services accounting for involves disaster preparedness training, health ini- at the Philippine Red Cross, says Haiyan was a wake- tiatives and constructing safer shelters. up call for the Philippine Red Cross to redouble its factors like seismic The challenge for the National Society and the community volunteer recruitment eff orts. In many threats, fl ood country as a whole is how to strengthen risk-reduc- of the worst-hit areas, staff and regular volunteers tion eff orts and make them more consistent in all were either aff ected themselves or cut off and un- plains, coastal corners of this geographically and culturally diverse able to help. erosion and nation. With its network of 100 chapters and thou- Another factor that has made a diff erence post- environmental sands of community volunteers, the Philippine Red Haiyan is stronger leadership at the provincial and Cross is already playing a key role. municipal levels. Local governments in some of the degradation.” coastal provinces have managed to contain injury Margareta Wahlström, A working defi nition and loss of life through preparation and evacuation United Nations Secretary But what does ‘building resilience’ look like? An il- measures. General’s Special Representative lustrated dictionary might include, along with its With Haiyan, the resultant storm surge took for Disaster Risk Reduction, in a recent article entitled The year defi nition, a picture of Philippine Red Cross vol- thousands of lives because people thought the of resilience. unteer Lenita Macavinta-Diego making her daily surge would be similar to past storms. In typhoons rounds in Aliputos, a coastal village on Panay Island Hagupit and Seniang, both of which hit the Philip- in Aklan province. pines in December 2014, loss of life was generally Trained by the Philippine Red Cross to conduct limited to cases in which people ventured out and emergency drills, simulations and fi rst-aid train- put their lives at risk. ing, and to identify safe evacuation centres, such as In the case of Hagupit, early action also played K After Typhoon Haiyan in community halls and two-storey houses, she makes a role. As soon as the country’s lead weather 2013, many coastal villages sure that food and medical supplies are stockpiled forecasting agency (PAGASA) spotted the storm such as this one were torn for emergencies and that the most vulnerable com- forming and heading for land, the government apart by high-force winds and munity members are evacuated fi rst. During Haiyan, swung into action. Storm warnings were issued rising sea waters. Rebuilding the volunteers’ actions in Aliputos meant there were and well over 1 million people were pre-emptively communities to withstand the storms and developing warning no casualties even though all 570 houses were dam- evacuated. Even though Hagupit destroyed houses and evacuation systems are part aged or destroyed. and infrastructure, the human cost was far less. of making communities more That typhoon, which made landfall in the Phil- Offi cially, only 18 people died compared with Hai- resilient to disaster. ippines in November 2013, dramatically changed yan’s death toll of 6,300. Photo: Rommel Cabrera/IFRC perceptions of how to prepare for and respond to storms. Before Typhoon Haiyan, many people thought little of sitting out a typhoon in their own home and people were often reluctant to evacuate for fear of losing their belongings to looters. More than a year later, attitudes have changed markedly, say Red Cross volunteers. Even people who in the past refused to evacuate heeded local authorities and sought shelter in designated evacu- ation centres, usually schools or community halls on higher ground, when alerted about Typhoon Hagupit in December 2014.
Life after Haiyan In that sense, the Philippine Red Cross’s outreach task has been made a lot easier. Now people pay more attention to the news and offi cial warnings and take
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 17 28.04.15 14:17 I In the wake of successive venience shops are the top three income-generators typhoons, the Philippine Red for those who have received such support. Cross and Movement partners This can also be the case during confl ict. In addition have supported programmes to emergency assistance, the ICRC, which has long that help local people get back into business — as fi shermen, been present in the Philippines due to the ongoing farmers, builders and many confl ict, increasingly includes cash grants, cash cards, other professions. provision of tools or machinery, training and micro- Photo: Rommel Cabrera/IFRC loans as part of a package to help communities attend more quickly and eff ectively to their own needs. After fi ghting broke out in Zamboanga City be- tween a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front and government forces in 2014, some 40,000 people fled their homes. Most of these people found shelter in tents, improvised wood and tarpau- lin structures or bunkhouses along the Cawa-Cawa shoreline, or in a local football stadium. In addition to emergency relief eff orts, the ICRC Community buy-in and Philippine Red Cross off ered fi nancial support But at the community level, disaster risk reduction to the neediest in exchange for work (for example, eff orts are still fragile. A lot depends on the calibre of garbage collection in the stadium and along the leadership and the willingness of people to partici- shoreline) or help with restarting small businesses. pate in exercises like community evacuation drills, In remote areas of Mindanao and the Visayas, local clean-ups and initiatives aimed at improving health. communities were able to identify their own needs “Haiyan taught us a lot, such as more eff ective and priorities. “Communities often rely on farming preparation,” Salve says, “but Hagupit reminded for survival, so we work with them to implement us that we still need to fast-track and prioritize re- sustainable projects and improve crop yields,” says cruitment of community volunteers. We need to Alan Colja, the ICRC’s economic security coordinator remember that during a typhoon, everyone is vul- in the Philippines. nerable and our messages need to get through to One conflict-stricken community recently de- the whole community.” cided that it wanted to boost incomes by expanding One central theme behind all these eff orts is that its cut-fl ower business, so the ICRC helped it set up resilience is not something that can be delivered like a a small nursery and provided advice on increasing project or a programme. For a community to be truly production. The ICRC trained 560 people in carpen- resilient, changes must be fostered in such a way that try so they can help rebuild more storm-resistant they can continued without outside support. They homes and storm shelters. require community buy-in and investment. This kind of thinking is not new. For many years, 2015: the year of resilience? the Movement and other humanitarian actors have To some degree, resilience could be considered a sought to bring lasting improvement to people’s re-branding or consolidation of earlier buzzwords lives by enhancing local health systems, improving — ‘sustainability’, ‘preparedness’, ‘emergency plan- the health of livestock or helping people start small ning’, ‘risk-reduction’ and ‘economic security’ — in enterprises. Today, however, such eff orts are grow- a way that satisfi es humanitarian organizations and ing in scale, tend to come earlier in the wake of crises development agencies. The beauty of the term is that and are more often championed under the banner its inclusiveness allows for buy-in from people with of ‘resilience’. diverse interests. The downside is that resilience can Even from the onset, humanitarian relief often in- mean almost anything — another catchy slogan used cludes cash-grants or cash cards that allow victims opportunistically for almost any agenda. of crisis to make their own decisions (with some re- For its part, the IFRC has long made the case to strictions) about what they need most. In theory, this development and humanitarian donors that disaster form of assistance can boost the resilience of local preparedness and risk-reduction eff orts in disaster- markets and bring about recovery more quickly. prone areas are absolutely essential to meeting Since Haiyan, for example, almost 30,000 house- post-2015 Millennium Development Goals. holds have received cash grants enabling them to Now at the global level, momentum is gathering earn a living again as part of the Philippine Red around this concept as more organizations and high- Cross’s three-year US$ 360-million recovery plan in- level players align and push for greater investment volving some 500,000 people. Initial data show that in risk prevention, and by extension, promotion of farming, rearing livestock and setting up local con- more resilient communities as a way of reducing
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 18 28.04.15 14:17 government expenditures over the longer term. ference, where they called for greater action towards “After Typhoon In an article published to coincide with the tenth building community resilience. The way to do that, Haiyan, people have anniversary of the Hyogo Framework for Action they argued, is by ensuring sustainable access to (HFA), a risk-management plan adopted by the water and sanitation, investing in public awareness been listening to United Nations a decade ago following the dev- and education, supporting eff ective disaster-prepar- what we tell them. I astating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Margareta edness systems, and developing stronger building Wahlström, the United Nations Secretary General’s codes and other laws to reduce risks and ensure tell them that if we Special representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, swift response during crisis, among other actions. work together we calls for resilience “to be the hallmark of 2015.” She They also called attention to the recently launched makes a case for participating governments to re- ‘One Billion Coalition for Resilience’, an initiative to can become more vise the HFA to take account of climate change, scale up community and civic action on resilience resilient.” urban sprawl and rapid population growth. over the next ten years, “so that it is owned, led and Esther Vieron, 63, Philippine “It is time for the world to embed resilience… carried out by people themselves to bring about Red Cross volunteer into the industrialization process and the develop- lasting change in their communities”, according to ment of towns and cities, accounting for factors like IFRC President Tadateru Konoé. The coalition’s goal seismic threats, fl ood plains, coastal erosion and en- is to engage at least one person in every household vironmental degradation,” she writes. around the world in active steps towards enhancing In March, when the third international confer- community resilience. ence on disaster risk reduction convened in Sendai, Given the global and local reach of the Red Cross Japan, one goal was to update the HFA. and Red Crescent volunteer network, National So- After 30 hours of negotiations, consensus was fi - cieties are at the heart of this grass-roots resilience K Some of the workers at this nally reached on the Sendai Framework for Disaster revolution. For those looking for a working model, joint Philippine Red Cross and IFRC shelter construction project Risk Reduction, which lays out a 15-year strategy and the Philippines may off er a case in point if the in Tabontabon will move into “opens a new chapter in sustainable development ‘whole-society’ approach proves to be eff ective over the shelters they are working on. as it outlines clear targets and priorities for action, time and the concrete resilience actions promoted Most benefi ciaries are expected which will lead to a substantial reduction of disaster by the Philippine Red Cross and others become truly to contribute labour to build their risk,” according to Wahlström. embedded in local communities throughout this di- house if they are able. This kind of ‘sweat equity’ contribution verse, island nation. Q also fosters a sense of local 1 billion strong ownership, an important part of Representatives of 42 National Red Cross and Red By Kate Marshall any resilience-building eff ort. Crescent Societies and the IFRC took part in the con- Kate Marshall is an IFRC communications specialist based in Manila. Photo: IFRC
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 19 28.04.15 14:17 ITTING ON THE EDGE of his single bed, one of only two pieces of furniture in his drab, run- down room, a 38-year-old Syrian man named Hard times, SSamir* speaks about how he ended up in Nicosia, Cyprus’s capital city. “I was living in Damascus with my wife and my daughter,” he says. “I went to get some food for my family and when I was away, our apartment building new energy was bombed. My wife and my daughter were killed.” Fearing for his life, Samir says he left Damascus, lived A crossroads between continents in the in a refugee camp for several months before making his way towards Cyprus. Samir was lucky. He escaped eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus is coping with the horrors of war. But like many migrants, he is now living another sort of nightmare — a legal limbo that increasing migration in the midst of fi nancial forces him to live in the shadows of society, searching for work while trying to avoid the police. crisis. One of the Movement’s newest Migrants from Syria who arrive in Cyprus qualify for ‘subsidiary protection’, a status that prevents National Societies responds. them from being sent back to their native country. But it doesn’t protect them from being detained by I In September 2014, more police for entering and living in Cyprus illegally. than 350 refugees from the Syrian Samir has already spent four months in detention, confl ict were rescued from this fi rst in Nicosia’s central prison and then later at the fi shing boat. AFP Photo/HO /Cyprus Defence Ministry Menogia detention centre for immigrants near the south-eastern city of Larnaca. “I am worried about being sent back,” he says. As an undocumented migrant, Samir doesn’t qualify for government financial assistance and because he left Syria quickly, without papers, he cannot prove his identity to authorities or agencies that might help him attain refugee status or asylum.
I They were brought by cruise ship to the Port of Limassol on the island of Cyprus. AFP Photo/Andew Caballero-Reynolds
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 20 28.04.15 14:17 In the meantime, fi nding day labour is no easy task. A painter by trade, Samir fi nds himself in a country suff ering from the aftermath of a nationwide bank- ing crisis that culminated in late 2012 and which has brought the economy to a near complete standstill. Many Cypriots lost their businesses, homes, retire- ment pensions and savings, while many others can only withdraw small daily sums of money due to a policy aimed at preventing a run on the banks. While economists and politicians see signs of a comeback (following a 10 billion euro bailout in 2013), many average Cypriots see little sign of im- provement. Last year, unemployment reached 18 per cent for people aged 25 and over, and close to 45 per cent for people under 25. Meanwhile, personal, home and business loans have all but dried up. Everyone has been hit, but migrants and the elderly (many of whom lost their Cyprus Red Cross. “Now, we concentrate on local L Already active in helping retirement pensions) are particularly vulnerable. needs,” he adds, noting that some of the National So- refugees and migrants, the Cyprus “We see these cases every day, elderly people ciety’s own resources were lost or frozen due to the Red Cross Society responded by both advocating for the protection who are stuck in their beds at home begging for banking crisis. “Donations from individual donors of the refugees and off ering direct help,” says Leas Kontos, a volunteer with the Nicosia overall are much less, while needs have increased.” assistance at a temporary camp set branch of the Cyprus Red Cross Society, who spends One important response has been a campaign, up for the refugees. most days making house calls, delivering food pack- launched with the support of three major corpo- Photo: Cyprus Red Cross Society ages or medicine to the elderly, single mothers or rations, to secure money for a school breakfast others who cannot come to the branch headquar- programme and other local relief eff orts. This cam- ters during food distributions. paign, and other fund-raising eff orts, has allowed Kontos also sees many migrants during his the National Society to nearly double its delivery of rounds. Most are from eastern European and Cen- food parcels. tral Asian states, but others have come from as far away as Cameroon and Sri Lanka. More and more New energy are coming from Syria. The crisis has also brought on a new sense of urgency “People are coming to Cyprus because they think and energy to a National Society whose domestic there is work here or because they think it’s an entry operations, up until two years ago, had been fairly into the European Union,” says Giorgio Frantzis, a routine, says Niki Hadjitsangari, the president of the fi eld offi cer at the Nicosia branch, where migrants Limassol branch on the island’s southern coast. can get food, basic household supplies, clothing, in- “We were a small, fairly typical and traditional Eu- formation and referrals to help them survive in their ropean Red Cross,” she says. “We would do blood new home. “They’ve heard that Cyprus is a prosper- drives, deliver blood to the hospitals, visit old people ous place. Which it was until recently.” in nursing homes and take presents to underprivi- leged children at Christmas. We were helping poor New stories, new challenges people, but because Cyprus was a very prosperous In the midst of all this, the Cyprus Red Cross Society country, there were not so many needs.” itself is going through a metamorphosis of sorts, a Now the branch distributes food, cloth- transformation brought on by the economic crisis, ing and supplies on an ongoing basis and the infl ux of migrants and the new opportunities is struggling to fi nd ways to expand the cramped, posed by the National Society’s admission into the overpacked areas where it stores and prepares food IFRC at its General Assembly in November 2013. packages. The branch’s lobby, about the size of an Today, the National Society is shouldering a new average elevator, is being expanded to accommo- and growing set of responsibilities in a country date the growing number of migrants who arrive with few remaining nationwide civil society organi- seeking assistance, information and referrals. “We zations. But the crisis has also forced it to halt its are operating in emergency mode,” says branch long-standing support for international operations treasurer Annie Haraki. in the Philippines and Sri Lanka. “We were doing many projects abroad because we Emergency mode could aff ord it and because there were no great needs In September, the branch faced one of its biggest locally,” says Takis Neophytou, director general of the recent emergencies when it mobilized to assist 345
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 21 28.04.15 14:17 Syrian and Palestinian migrants who arrived at the “We see these cases The episode was a test of the National Society’s port of Limassol after having been rescued at sea capacity to respond to an acute emergency as well during stormy weather by a passenger ship. Before every day, elderly as its role as a neutral and independent humani- they arrived, Red Cross staff in Nicosia called in addi- people who are stuck tarian organization. This was particularly true, says tional volunteers who worked in three-day shifts to in their beds at home Neophytou, when government agencies asked the set up tents and established a distribution centre at National Society to advance particular policies re- a pre-existing, government-run camp for migrants begging for help.” garding the migrants’ legal status that might not be nearby. Leas Kontos, a volunteer with in the migrants’ best interests. Cyprus Red Cross volunteers then provided mi- the Nicosia branch of the Cyprus “Unacceptable demands by the public authorities, grants with basics necessities (clothes, shoes, hygienic Red Cross Society deriving from accidental or intentional conception kits, personal care items, toys for the children) as well or misinterpretation of our auxiliary role, must never as fi rst aid, psychosocial support and help connect- overpower the Fundamental Principles of the Move- ing with family back home or elsewhere. In following ment,” he says. weeks, the National Society organized activities to im- prove the migrants’ quality of life, including schooling Insecure times for the children, English language lessons for adults Indeed, charting a new course to increase assistance and limited legal advice and referrals. for vulnerable migrants is not easy during hard eco- When authorities stopped off ering any services at K A banking crisis that hit Cyprus nomic times. “With the economic crisis, people feel the camp in January, roughly 100 migrants stayed in 2012 continues to cause insecure,” says Andri Agrotis, a lawyer and volunteer considerable hardship for average on and volunteers continued to off er services, medi- who serves as secretary in the Nicosia branch and Cypriots. At the beginning of the cine and supplies to those who remained. A Cyprus crisis, people’s ability to withdraw helps run the branch’s services for migrants. “Some Red Cross volunteer doctor made regular visits and money was greatly restricted people feel that if you have more foreigners in the the National Society off ered transport to two local and lines at banks were long. country that means the country will never recover hospitals, which agreed to accept patients from the The crisis caused the Cyprus Red because we need to maintain these new people.” camp. Staff and volunteers also provided informa- Cross to downscale international The National Society has responded by saying operations and focus more on the tion aimed at protecting migrants from smugglers needs of local residents, as well as it will endeavour to protect and support migrants, and others who might take advantage of their vul- migrants and refugees. promote wider understanding of their rights and nerable situation. Photo: REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel their need for social inclusion, as well as off er ser-
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 22 28.04.15 14:17 vices (such as family tracing) at three government L Cyprus Red Cross volunteer Leas Despite this, many young people have mobilized to ‘reception centres for asylum seekers’ in Kofi nou, Kontos makes daily deliveries to help fellow Cypriots and migrants, she says. And like Larnaca and Paphos. people in Nicosia who have been youth anywhere, many are passionate about global hit hard by the 2012 fi nancial “We feel that we have to follow the Fundamental issues, such as reducing the eff ects of climate change, crisis. Many of those he visits Principles and that we are doing whatever we can are elderly, unemployed or who as well as gender equality and youth empowerment. within our resources and capabilities as a small Na- have jobs that do not cover their “So we really need to come up with new pro- tional Society,” says Agrotis, who also represents the expenses and debts. grammes that will challenge the youth, not just ask Cyprus Red Cross on the Platform for European Red Photo: Malcolm Lucard/IFRC them to do what the older generation has been Cross Cooperation on Refugees, Asylum Seekers and doing,” she says, adding that the Cyprus Red Cross is Migrants (PERCO). taking steps in the right direction: the youth section Part of that responsibility, says Fotini Papado- has equal status to the branches, meaning it reports poulou, president of the Cyprus Red Cross, is to be a to the executive committee, has a voice in strategic voice for vulnerable people and to speak out against decisions and has fund-raising responsibilities. xenophobia, racism and attitudes that lead to exclu- “Unacceptable Some of the more innovative — and fun — re- sionary policies and social marginalization. sponses to the crisis, most notably rock concert Now that the Movement has fully accepted it into demands by the public fund-raisers, were organized by young volunteers. its fold, she says the Cyprus Red Cross can play an authorities, deriving Still, there is a gap in the National Society’s human even greater, and more eff ective, role on the local, resources. Most staff and leadership are 50 years European and global stages by participating in from accidental or old, or older. Many of the National Society’s older Movement decision-making and by benefi ting from intentional conception generation, including Papadopoulou, say it must do other forms of Movement support. more to bring up a new generation of management or misinterpretation and leadership. Remaining relevant of our auxiliary role, “Cyprus was a paradise some years ago,” says Pa- A key part of that process will be young people, padopoulou. “I think Cyprus can be a paradise again many of whom are now facing a future in which half must never overpower and I think the youth will be a big part of making of them will not be able to fi nd jobs on the island. the Fundamental that future. But it will only happen if we work very “Unemployment is the number-one issue in Cy- hard and if we help each other, help everyone, to get prus,” says Vanessa Kyprianou, the president of the Principles of the through this crisis.” Q Cyprus Red Cross youth section, adding that volun- Movement.” Malcolm Lucard teering is still a big part of the young Cypriot spirit. “But Takis Neophytou, director By it’s often a challenge to ask people to volunteer when general of the Cyprus Red Cross Malcolm Lucard is editor of Red Cross Red Crescent magazine. what they need is a job to help put food on the table.” Society *Not his real name
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 23 28.04.15 14:17 HE MAN ESCORTING PATRICIO BUSTOS fum- bles with his keys. Bustos doesn’t complain. After all, he has waited a long time for this. TWhat’s a few more seconds? The heavy, steel door swings open at last and Bustos steps into a cement courtyard the size of a tennis court, surrounded on Cases of three sides by a blue, one-storey building. “Yes, I remember,” he says quietly. Bustos is Chile’s national coroner, the man ulti- mately responsible for fi nding answers when the government needs to know how, why or when someone died — or to fi nd answers about who has died in cases where the remains cannot be easily identifi ed. One of his biggest cases, which he is identity handling with assistance from the ICRC, involves fi nding answers about those who were murdered Patricio Bustos says visits from ICRC or executed, or who simply disappeared, during Chile’s years of military regime, which lasted from delegates when he was imprisoned in the 1973 to 1990. On this day, nearly 40 years later, 64-year-old Bus- 1970s likely saved his life. Now, as head of tos is making a personal journey, a return to a painful part of his past. Chile’s forensic services agency, he works, The last time Bustos saw this courtyard was in 1976, under very diff erent circumstances. Then a with help from the ICRC, to solve one of young doctor with Marxist sympathies, he had been arrested for actively resisting Chile’s military regime. the country’s greatest mysteries: what The facility, known as Cuatro Alamos, was a deten- happened to those who disappeared during tion centre in Santiago run by Chile’s secret police. Only the secret police knew he was there. the country’s decades of military regime? Returning to the corridors for the fi rst time since his release in 1976, Bustos walks up and down a nar- tanks rolled and the air force bombed the presiden- row hallway, searching his memory. Then he stops tial palace. President Salvador Allende and dozens in front of a door, above which is painted number of his supporters died that day. General Augusto Pi- 2. “This was my cell,” he says, standing on his toes nochet went on television that night to announce to peer through the square spaces above the door. that the military had seized power in the name of Bustos strides to the far end of the hallway, turns protecting the fatherland. left and enters a room with white ceramic tiles and The arrests began immediately and continued un- six shower heads. “This is where they beat the pris- abated. In just one episode on 12 October, soldiers oners,” he says matter-of-factly. “This is where I was arrested 26 leftist sympathizers in the city of Calama beaten.” and held them in a prison, incommunicado. Eight “It’s a humanitarian He lingers for only a minute. There is another days later, authorities released a statement: all of the place he wants to visit, a rectangular room with iron men had been shot dead the previous day while at- gesture, something bars over the windows that served as Cuatro Ala- tempting to escape after a truck transporting them the country has mos’ communal area. While held captive, Bustos had to another prison suff ered a mechanical failure. No been summoned there one day to meet three men further details were provided. Nor were the bodies. to do, something bearing red and white badges. So many bodies didn’t turn up throughout Chile the [Legal Medical That meeting, and other similar private talks that a phrase was coined to describe them. They with these men in subsequent months, are almost became known as Los Desaparecidos (the disap- Service] has to do, certainly what kept him from disappearing. “This peared). to provide justice. is where I met the ICRC offi cials,” he says, standing For years, families of those who had disappeared It’s important to in the middle of the room, a slight echo from the in Calama and 15 other cities across the country in concrete accentuating his voice’s otherwise fl at, un- less than a month sought more information. After remember that we assuming tone. “This is where I met them.” Chile returned to democracy in 1990, they fi nally got as a society still some answers. The military had tortured and then Los Desaparecidos executed 96 people, including the 26 in Calama, as have debts to pay.” Bustos arrived at Cuatro Alamos more than two part of an infamous campaign that became known Patricio Bustos, head of Chile’s years after the events of 11 September 1973, when as the ‘caravan of death’. Legal Medical Service
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 24 28.04.15 14:17 But what about the remains? Where were they? ing or after both confl ict and natural disasters. But L Now Chile’s top coroner, One of the 96 was Luis Alfonso Moreno, a 30-year- it wasn’t always that way. Patricio Bustos sits in the cell old security guard and Socialist Party activist. Only a few years earlier, before Bustos became di- where he was once detained during Chile’s military regime Investigators called his family in January 2014. They rector, the SML had misidentifi ed dozens of people in the 1970s. Not far from this had found fragments of his body in the desert and who had disappeared after Pinochet and the military cell, Bustos was visited by conclusively identifi ed them. took power. The episode is remembered as ‘Patio three ICRC delegates who he The family held a ceremony for Moreno at the 29’, a reference to an area in the general cemetery says helped prevent him from general cemetery in Santiago, with his bones in an where the victims were buried. Between 1994 and meeting the fate of many of his fellow prisoners: execution or urn draped by the Chilean fl ag. Beside the urn was 2002, the SML claimed to have identifi ed 98 bodies disappearance. a black-and-white photograph of his wedding day from Patio 29 and delivered the remains to the fami- Photo: Hector Gonzalez de Cunco/IFRC in 1969. lies for proper burial. But in dozens of cases, the SML Mourners told stories that prompted laughter and later said that the identifi cations were mistaken. tears. Someone played a guitar and they sang his fa- Relatives of the 1,200 victims whose remains had vourite songs. This produced more remembrances. not been positively identifi ed were especially out- Moreno was buried in a gravesite that held the re- raged. “We lost confi dence in the SML,” says Alicia mains of other Pinochet regime victims. Lira, who heads a group that represents relatives of “We had lost hope,” says Luis Alfonso Moreno Jr, people executed by the military regime and whose who was 3 years old when his father disappeared. remains have still not been found. “We thought impunity would rule. Now he’s with his When the SML’s director at the time resigned, comrades.” Bustos, who held a senior post in the health minis- try, applied for and got the job. Bustos immediately Mistaken identities made changes. On his second day, he met with Moreno’s identifi cation was performed by the Legal several relatives of Los Desaparecidos and told Medical Service (SML in Spanish), Chile’s national them that he would establish stricter rules to end coroner’s offi ce, the agency Patricio Bustos now misidentifi cations, be accessible to them and en- heads. The SML is gaining a reputation as an agency sure that his agency treated the families in a more that can serve as a model to similar agencies dur- humanitarian way.
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 25 28.04.15 14:17 inevitably get emotional, because they feel there is the possibility of fi nding your loved one some day,” says Lorena Pizarro, representative of the Families of Disappeared Detainees Association. Last year, the SML went a step further with a new programme, called ‘A drop of your blood for truth and justice’, which aimed to reach out be- yond relatives of Los Desaparecidos to others who think their family may also have been a victim of the regime. Since 2007, the SML has defi nitively identifi ed 138 remains — meaning 138 families now have a place to visit their loved ones. Of those, 58 were among those that had been previously misidentifi ed. Despite the successes, many challenges remain. While Bustos says the SML still has work to do in gaining the trust of those who lost loved ones, the problem has not been getting the relatives to pro- vide blood samples. The problem has been fi nding the remains of Los Desaparecidos. According to records revealed during various investigations into the regime, the military and the secret police took deliberate steps to hide the L Family members inter the Answers in blood remains. In one notorious operation, code-named body of Luis Alfonso Moreno The eff ort to rebuild the families’ trust continued ‘Throw out television sets’, the military dug up after his remains were positively in 2007, when the Chilean government created a and moved remains in order to hide the evidence. identifi ed by Chile’s Legal Medical Services using DNA DNA-sampling centre that enabled forensic scien- Some of these ‘television sets’ were dug up from sampling technology. Moreno tists to match DNA from found bones with the living secret gravesites, loaded onto military aircraft and was a 35-year-old security relatives of the disappeared. The agency also signed dropped into the sea. guard and Socialist activist who agreements with foreign accredited, genetic-analy- But when remains do appear, the blood samples was arrested and killed by the sis laboratories and began working more closely from relatives greatly increase the chances of a de- military regime in 1973. with the ICRC, which has signifi cant expertise in the fi nitive match. Using DNA can be important, says Photo: Hector Gonzalez de Cunco/IFRC identifi cation of human remains. Olga Barragán, forensic adviser in the ICRC Brasilia Two years later, the SML launched its fi rst public Regional Delegation, covering Argentina, Brazil, campaign inviting family members of the disap- Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. But DNA is only part peared to donate blood to see if their DNA matched of the overall puzzle. unidentifi ed remains that had already been found or “You try to get as much information as you can that might be discovered. The SML collected more from the families,” Barragán adds. “The colour of the than 3,500 samples. eyes, the skin, the sex, the weight and height, dental Collecting blood is a simple task. But for many records, any surgeries, implants or x-rays. The region family members, the process awakens painful mem- has made big advances in forensic science in recent ories. “When a family member gives a sample, they years, not only because the technology is better but also because forensic workers are better prepared, with a holistic humanitarian vision. So, they are get- ting better results.” The ICRC’s forensic work in Chile is not limited to the disappeared, however. It also assisted the SML following an earthquake in 2010 that killed more than 500 people and a prison fire, also in 2010, that killed 81 inmates. And in two other high-profi le cases, the ICRC was brought in as a neutral observer after Chilean judi- cial authorities ordered the exhumations of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and former Chilean president I Alicia Lira, who heads a group that represents relatives of people Salvador Allende in order to defi nitively deter- executed by the military regime. mine the cause of their deaths. The ICRC role in Photo: Hector Gonzalez de Cunco/IFRC the Neruda exhumation, conducted by the Chilean
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 26 28.04.15 14:17 forensic service with help from other Chilean and The Tower international experts, was to help ensure that the For Bustos, the drive to fi nd answers on behalf of the exhumation followed international standards and disappeared has been deepened by his own per- that the rights of family members were respected sonal experience. It began on 10 September 1975. during the process. Bustos says had just left his place of work in Santi- ago when three agents grabbed him, forced him up From note cards to DNA samples against a wall, handcuff ed, gagged and blindfolded Late last year, the ICRC’s role took on a new dimen- him and then hustled him into a waiting car. They sion when it became one of four institutions to beat Bustos for 30 minutes until they reached their permanently store DNA samples of Chile’s disap- destination: Villa Grimaldi, the secret police’s main peared in its archives in Geneva, Switzerland. “This is torture centre. the fi rst time the ICRC has received DNA samples for The secret police had been hunting for Bustos for future use, for the identifi cation of human remains months and had almost caught him several times as strictly for humanitarian purposes,” says Morris Tid- he constantly kept on the move, using any one of ball-Binz, director of the ICRC forensic services unit eight aliases. based in Geneva. At the time of the coup, Bustos says he had been Since the First World War, the ICRC has relied on the president of the medical students’ centre at the personal information to reconnect family members University of Concepción, a hotbed of leftist political separated by confl ict. A hundred years ago, it was activity. After the coup, the military government ex- K At the laboratory of Chile’s collected on note cards and stored in warehouses pelled him from the university. He went to Santiago Legal Medical Service, two fi lled with fi ling cabinets. Later, it was secured on to join the underground resistance movement and technicians measure the computer networks. The storage of DNA samples soon headed a mobile medical team that treated remains of a person believed to be a victim of the military is unprecedented. people who were also in hiding. regime in the 1970s. This kind For Pizarro, this arrangement with an interna- At Villa Grimaldi, Bustos says he was stripped, of detailed analysis, along with tional organization shows that families of Chile’s placed upon the metal coils of a bed known as La Pa- DNA sampling and examination disappeared are “not alone”, and that fi nding an- rilla (the grill). There, he was interrogated and given of clothing, objects or material swers is a global responsibility. “The hope is that, electric shocks. found near the body, can help investigators fi nd answers, even even if hundreds of years go by, we will have a He was then dragged to a narrow, 40-metre tall years after a crime took place. place to return to, in order to identify our loved building known as The Tower. There, his wrists and Photo: Hector Gonzalez de Cunco/IFRC ones,” she says. ankles were bound while his arms were looped
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under a horizontal metal bar that was thrust behind it,” he says, adding that he visits Villa Grimaldi sev- “When a family his knees; his head inclined downward. For hours, eral times a year in memory of those who died there member gives he was held in this excruciating position, known as or who disappeared from there. the Parrot’s Perch. Bustos says he feels a sense of tranquility when a sample, they Over the next two months, Bustos says he was the SML identifi es the remains of a disappeared vic- inevitably get placed repeatedly on the Parrot’s Perch and on la tim. He nearly always attends the ceremony where parrilla, sometimes alongside his wife, who had the remains are given to a family, making sure that emotional, because been a dentist and was also in the underground op- agency offi cials explain the proof in detail. But it they feel there is the position until her arrest. pains him that they have been able to identify only In November 1975, Bustos was transferred to 10 per cent of the remaining disappeared. possibility of fi nding Cuatro Alamos, where the secret police often took Marta Vega is among the relatives still looking for your loved one some political prisoners to recover from torture before closure. Her father Juan, a Communist Party activist, deciding their ultimate fate. There he met José Zala- disappeared in 1976 when she was 17. “We have no day.” quett, a human rights lawyer who had also been idea where he is,” Vega says. Lorena Pizarro, representative arrested. “His chances of surviving were very poor,” Vega, her siblings and her cousins have all given of the Families of Disappeared Detainees Association Zalaquett recalls, given Bustos’ importance to the blood to the SML. “I feel good that if his remains ap- resistance movement and thus perceived danger to peared tomorrow by chance, we have the samples the military regime. to identify him,” she says, adding, “Bustos has done a good job. Whatever need or worry we have, he ad- Men with red-and-white badges dresses them.” Word of Cuatro Alamos’ existence fi ltered out. One On the good days, when the SML is able to de- person who learned about the secret facility was liver the remains of a disappeared victim along with Sergio Nessi, an ICRC delegate general for Latin conclusive proof, Bustos says he does not express America. Determined to visit, he obtained grudging happiness or satisfaction to the family. “It’s a human- permission to visit the facility. No outsider had previ- itarian gesture,” he says, “something the country has ously been allowed in. to do, something the SML has to do, to provide jus- Nessi and two other ICRC offi cials — Rolf Jenny tice. It’s important to remember that we as a society and Willy Corthay — entered Cuatro Alamos on 9 still have debts to pay.” Q December 1975. There, they met Bustos and other political prisoners in the communal room. By Tyler Bridges Nessi and Jenny registered each man’s name and Tyler Bridges is a journalist based in Lima, Peru. Corthay examined their injuries, especially Bustos’. He could barely walk. The ICRC delegates spent about 90 minutes with the detainees and returned the following day with medicine for Bustos and sup- plies for the other detainees. Most important, though, the ICRC now knew of their existence and could demand their protection. “Once he was registered by the ICRC, his life was as safe as could be possible,” says Zalaquett, who later served on Chile’s 1991 Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Debts to pay Ultimately, in December 1976, Bustos was released from prison and expelled to Italy. There, he rebuilt his life as he practised medicine. Bustos returned to Chile in 1991 after the reestablishment of democ- racy. By then, he had sought out Nessi in Europe to thank him personally. “The ICRC was an important factor in saving my life,” Bustos says. He also credited his family and J other political prisoners, who, after being freed, Lorena Pizzaro, president of an association of families for spread the word about his whereabouts. detainees who disappeared On a recent visit to Villa Grimaldi, which is now a during Chile’s military memorial centre, he sat on the steps in front of The dictatorship. Tower. “It’s diffi cult to be here, but I fi nd a way to do Photo: Hector Gonzalez de Cunco/IFRC
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 28 28.04.15 14:17 ICRC materials are available from the International Committee of the Red Cross, 19 avenue de la Paix, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland. www.icrc.org. Resources IFRC materials are available from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, P.O. Box 303, CH-1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland. www.ifrc.org. PUBLICATIONS in 2003 to minimize the impact of Emergency Plan of Action and its processes and tools that can be used these weapons. contribution to the broader ten-year to integrate an assessment of market Available in Chinese, English, French and Spanish national plans to eradicate cholera conditions into various phases of (online only) from the island of Hispaniola. projects being implemented in the Available in English fi eld. It is intended for staff who have Safer Access: a leading role in market assessment An introduction Market analysis guidance and for managers who need to make ICRC 2014 strategic decisions and implement ICRC 2015 market-related relief and early This publication aims to provide a People’s livelihoods depend to a recovery work. It follows another brief introduction to the Safer Access signifi cant extent on markets. Sudden brochure in the series entitled Rapid Framework, a project developed by shocks such as drought or confl ict assessment for markets – Guidelines the ICRC to help National Societies can severely limit how markets for an initial emergency market ensure that staff and volunteers can function and, as a result, drastically assessment. safely access vulnerable communities reduce people’s access to essential Available in English during times of violence, confl ict or commodities. This publication off ers other disturbances. More detailed descriptions and guidance materials Gaza Strip: keeping International can be found in Safer Access: A Guide sewage out of drinking humanitarian law: for All National Societies, which is the VIDEOS core component of the Safer Access water in Beit Hanoun Answers to your questions ICRC 2015 ICRC 2015 Practical Resource Pack containing further useful materials. Damaged sewer systems are placing This introductory booklet to Available in English You probably don’t have 50,000 people at serious risk in the international humanitarian law has Gazan town of Beit Hanoun. “We been fully revised and is accessible Ebola if… IFRC 2015 have to repair basic infrastructure as to all readers interested in the quickly as possible,” explains ICRC Ebola virus disease is harder origins, development and modern- water engineer Sara Badei in this to catch than you think. It may day application of humanitarian law. video recently released by the ICRC. dominate the news, but if you are Available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish “This means getting materials and outside the countries where Ebola resources to where they’re needed. is endemic, you’re more likely to Haiti earthquake fi ve- The ICRC has done a lot already, but be struck by lightning than catch there’s much more still to be done.” year progress report this disease. That’s the message of In this video, Badei explains the IFRC 2015 a new, colourful, animated video consequences of mixing drinking The earthquake that struck Haiti produced by the IFRC. Unlike water and sewage. in January 2010 was one of the infl uenza or tuberculosis, the video Available at www.icrc.org biggest natural disasters in recent points out, Ebola cannot spread history, resulting in more than 1.5 through the air. People contract million internally displaced people, Ebola by touching the blood or Liberia: bringing unprecedented human losses and bodily fl uids (including sweat, Redemption Hospital material damage. This report spans urine, and semen) of a person back to life the response actions of the IFRC who’s infected. and its member Red Cross and Red Haiti & Dominican ICRC 2015 Available on the IFRC YouTube channel in Arabic, Redemption is the name of a public Crescent National Societies from Republic Cholera English, French, Portuguese and Spanish hospital providing free medical care January 2010 to November 2014, to Operation: Summary of to the people of New Kru Town in improve the health, living conditions, Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia. hygiene, nutrition and livelihoods of the Plan of Action Other videos from IFRC The Ebola epidemic killed 112 people those aff ected by this horrifi c tragedy. IFRC 2015 2015 In 2012, the governments of Haiti The IFRC YouTube channel at this health facility, forcing it to Available in English, French and Spanish and Dominican Republic, with also includes new videos shut down in September 2014. As support from the United Nations, the on subjects ranging from part of its contribution to fi ghting Explosive remnants of Movement and non-governmental building economically resilient the epidemic and helping to restore war organizations, created the Coalition communities in Haiti to health facilities in Liberia, the ICRC ICRC 2015 for the Elimination of Cholera on the creating disaster preparedness decided to go in with its expertise and This brochure highlights the island of Hispaniola. This initiative mechanisms, and a collection of clean up the contaminated areas. This risks posed by unexploded and seeks to mobilize resources for videos on the tenth anniversary video recounts the story of Sébastien abandoned ordnance in war- well-coordinated eff orts aimed at of the Indian Ocean tsunami and Renou, one of the few brave people aff ected countries and summarizes the elimination of cholera from the the fifth anniversary of the 2010 on the front lines, who helped to the Protocol on Explosive Remnants island. This document refl ects a earthquake in Haiti. clean up Redemption Hospital. of War, a treaty adopted by states summary of the IFRC-wide two-year Available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish Available at www.icrc.org
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E-RCRC_1.15 irl.indd 29 28.04.15 14:17 The Seven Fundamental Principles are often the fi rst things people learn about the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. The act of sharing these principles and getting people to understand them has long been a key part of putting them into action. In this undated, uncredited photograph from the ICRC archives, taken in Laos, probably in the 1960s, a young girl reads about the Principles in a book about the Red Cross. Photo: IFRC
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