On 23-25 November, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement held its Council of Delegates in Nairobi Kenya. Included on the Council’s agenda was a review of progress on the implementation of the resolutions of the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, including Resolution 4 related to the IDRL Guidelines.
Participants were provided a two-year progress report by the IFRC secretariat, detailing the numerous countries that have begun to take up the IDRL Guidelines but also noting that a great deal of work remains to be done to make sure that they have the desired impact. Many participants also took the opportunity to stop by the IDRL programme’s information booth (see picture above) to learn more about how to promote the Guidelines.
In his remarks to the Council, IFRC Secretary-General Bekele Geleta noted that “the adoption of the IDRL Guidelines represented a rare point of global consensus on the mechanics of international humanitarian relief, at a time of increasing need. It is an important achievement of the Movement to have assisted states to come to agreement on the nuts and bolts problems not only of access but also of the appropriateness and complementarity of international assistance in light of domestic efforts.”