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ICRC calls for more humanitarian aid support from China

Xinhua, September 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Peter Maurer on Tuesday called for more support from China in global humanitarian assistance.

Maurer made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua News Agency ahead of China's commemoration events for the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II scheduled for Sept. 3.

"China over time hopefully will be a more important contributor to ICRC and its operation," Maurer said, adding that China is an important actor on the world stage and can influence conflict regions.

China is also a large manufacturer of humanitarian goods and ICRC's purchase of supplies from China has increased considerably over the years, Maurer said, adding that he welcomes Chinese citizens and specialists to join ICRC operations worldwide.

ICRC, founded in 1863, is a humanitarian institution based in Geneva.Its mandate is to protect victims of armed conflicts, including those wounded in war, prisoners, refugees, and civilians.

Maurer stressed the importance of protecting civilians in war, saying the suffering of the victims of World War II should be commemorated.

World War II was the beginning of the ICRC's attempt to protect civilians more systematically, to mobilize large contributions to those suffering from war and to work with communities and local aid groups, according to Maurer.

"There is a straight line which goes from the suffering of the civilians in the Second World War to the agreement on the Geneva Conventions of 1949," he said.

The four Geneva Conventions of 1949 are international treaties ratified by all states. The first three conventions were adopted from 1864 to 1929 and their terms were updated in 1949. They cover the protection of the wounded and sick in armed forces in the field, prisoners of war, and the wounded and sick of armed forces at sea.

The fourth convention adopted in 1949 defined for the first time the protection of civilians in war.

ICRC is a leader in artificial limb programs and has assisted in the rehabilitation of disabled people worldwide, including a program in southwest China's Yunnan Province, where 6,000 people have benefited since late 2003.

"The artificial limbs program is a good example where we look at the needs of people and where we try to respond to those needs with the knowledge we have from the conflicts in which we are active," Maurer said. Endi