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June 2010 - News
June 2010

Q&A: Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, Middle East and North Africa Head of Operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross and Abdul Rahman Attar, President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent

Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, Middle East and North Africa Head of Operations for the International Committee of the Red CrossTell us a bit about what you are doing in Syria?

Roggo: This is a passing visit in my capacity as regional director. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has had a delegation in Syria for 43 years and we have been working on the Golan issue since then and we will stay as long as the Golan issue is not solved. We are working closely with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), which is a very good and inspiring society in the region. SARC has developed considerably over the past few years, especially in project development, and is a reliable partner organisation.

We hope to strengthen our cooperation. Happily, Syria is not a country in conflict so we don't have a very big operation here. Syria is a very safe country, but there are needs arising from the Iraqi refugees and those who have left their homes because of the drought. We hope to contribute towards meeting those needs as much as we can.

Attar: First of all I would like to thank ICRC headquarters in Geneva; they have been an excellent partner for SARC. Another area I would like to mention is international humanitarian law. SARC has run training sessions for MPs, judges, diplomats and senior army and police officers.

What projects do you plan for Syria in the future?

Roggo: One area where we have been able to help is in terms of water. For the past three years we have undertaken projects to supply wells and drinking water in neighbourhoods which have a high proportion of Iraqis, such as Jaramana and Saida Zeinab in Damascus. We have supplied 29 schools in these areas and this has benefited Iraqis and Syrians alike. This year we have another project in the north-east of Syria, linked to the drought there. It's a water-trucking and irrigation project. For the future, we have ideas, but we need to plan our budget and assess needs and funds.

Abdul Rahman Attar, President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent

Do you have any up-to-date numbers on how many Syrians are still away from their homes because of the drought?

Roggo: We're still collecting data on the numbers of drought refugees in Syria. We need to collect data, but we want to start more concrete activities.

We understand that a number of organisations are having difficulties raising the necessary funds for their operations in Syria. Is this the case?

Roggo: The ICRC, thankfully, does not suffer from a funding shortfall, but lots of other international organisations are experiencing difficulties. It's a kind of 'donor fatigue', but political considerations should not prevent international organisations from obtaining funds to carry out operations. Syria is not a big operation for the ICRC. But nevertheless, Syria is an important country.

What about the Golan Heights?

Roggo: The people of the occupied Golan are protected under the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The ICRC visits the nine detainees in Israel who are from the Golan and we try to alleviate their conditions in detention as much as is possible.

Attar: I would like to thank the ICRC for their help on water and also for transporting apples from the Golan. This year 8,600 tonnes were brought during the six-week harvest, which has just ended. We still need the ICRC's help with the Golan, and we are looking at ways in which we can work together to help the people of the Syrian occupied Golan.

May 8 is the International Day of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. How is Syria marking this day?

Attar: The Syrian Arab Red Crescent was formed in 1942 and recognised in 1946 after independence. We are planning a special celebration at the Azem Palace in remembrance of Henri Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross. All members of SARC and the ICRC will be there – it will be a big demonstration for our volunteers. We are also planning another event at the Damascus Citadel on May 14.

FATHER OF THE RED CROSS

Jean Henri Dunant was a Swiss businessman and social activist born on May 8, 1828. During a business trip in 1859, he witnessed the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in modern Italy, fought between the French and Sardinian armies commanded by Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II, respectively, against the Austrian army under Emperor Franz Joseph I.

The suffering of wounded soldiers left on the battlefield deeply marked Dunant. Returning to Geneva he wrote A Memory of Solferino. Published in 1862 and printed at Dunant's own expense, the book described the horrors of the battle and the chaotic circumstances afterwards. In the book Dunant developed the idea that a neutral organisation should exist to provide care to wounded soldiers.

Dunant travelled through Europe promoting his cause. Gustave Moynier, the president of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare, was particularly interested in the idea. A five-person committee was established and its first meeting, held on February 17, 1863, is now considered the founding date of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Dunant continued to lobby governments throughout Europe and on August 22, 1864, 12 nations signed an international treaty, commonly known as the First Geneva Convention, agreeing to guarantee neutrality to sanitary personnel, to expedite supplies for their use and to adopt a special identifying emblem – commonly a red cross on a field of white.

In 1901, Dunant was awarded the first-ever Nobel Peace Prize for his role in founding the International Red Cross Movement and initiating the First Geneva Convention. He died in Switzerland on October 30, 1910.