International Seminar on Jointly Addressing Challenges to Humanitarian Aid held in Beijing

Address by Pierre Ryter, Head of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) East Asia Regional Delegation. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Pierre Ryter, Head of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) East Asia Regional Delegation, expressed in the address that international humanitarian aid system is undergoing profound changes. Humanitarian action had long been led by the "formal" or "traditional" systems consisting of national governments, inter-governmental organizations and international non-governmental organizations. Nowadays more national governments, regional organizations and newly-established non-governmental organizations are playing an important role in today's humanitarian aid system; regional organizations and networks also play a more important role in disaster relief and humanitarian aid management. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expects that the 2016 World Humanitarianism Summit will focus on strengthening and respecting international humanitarian law to ensure that all the people affected by armed conflicts could obtain the maximum protection. He appeals to states and non-state armed groups to fulfill its legal responsibility and implement humanitarian action through international humanitarian organizations. He also expects that the World Humanitarianism Summit could recognize the reality that humanitarian funding should adapt to long-term conflicts better and keep the demand connecting to the urgent and long-term wants and needs. Today, as humanitarian aid becomes increasingly diversified, this seminar, which focuses on knowing and respecting the diversity of humanitarian aid based on the diversity, will promote effective collective actions.