There is no doubting the fact that technological evolution is a fundamental part of the general development of humanity. Technology has been, and is, an instrument of progress that makes people's dignity of life and the attainment of liberty and well-being feasible – providing that its use is governed by ethical conduct and that efforts are made, for example, to overcome the problems of inequality of access. In particular, what we call the new information and communications technologies are now an irreplaceable part of social and human development, above all because of their ability to accelerate it.
Institutions and organizations specialising in humanitarian work, like the Red Cross and Red Crescent International Movement, greet this new technology's potential for progress with enthusiasm, as it is an effective mechanism for driving solidarity and redistribution initiatives, and also for access to individual rights. It is easy to demonstrate the irreversible importance of new technology in all aspects of the third sector: providing information, awareness-raising campaigns, internal management, volunteer training, fund raising and attracting new members, social participation and networking – both within the organization itself and with other organizations in the sector. New technology has also awoken fresh expectations in the humanitarian field as regards the direct repercussion it could have on the beneficiaries of such organizations, as is shown for example by teleassistance and telemedicine projects, projects for adapting to the new profiles required by the labour market, and projects for improving quality of life.
In this inaugural lecture, there is a reflection – from the experience and values of an institution like the Red Cross and Red Crescent International Movement – on the role of information and communications technology as a new instrument for humanitarian action and a call for the humanitarian application of technology, with an invitation to the powers that be, to the representatives of civil society and to society as a whole to make an integrative, collective effort to take advantage of the opportunities for innovation and distribution of knowledge that cutting edge technology offers us.
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| Introduction |
I am grateful to the UOC for allowing me the honour of giving the Inaugural Lecture of the 2002-2003 Academic Year. In it my intention is, on the one hand, to extend knowledge of the principles of, the work done by and the objectives of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. And, on the other, to detail the irreversible importance of new technology in every aspect of the humanitarian work done by our organization.
In brief, the objective of our labours consists of defending and achieving the right of all individuals to decent living conditions. And in this sense, there can be little doubt that technological evolution has been a fundamental part of the general development of humanity, of the feasibility of decent lives for people, allowing a certain degree of freedom and well-being to be attained – provided, that is, that ethical conduct governs its use, because perverse uses of technological advance are always to be lamented, and condemned, among which we should include unequal access to it.
With that ethical proviso, technology in general has been and is a tool of progress. And in particular, what we call new technology, based on the telecommunication of information and knowledge, is today a fundamental part of social and human development, particularly because of its ability to accelerate it. The UOC itself shows this particularly well.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent also views the potential of this technology for progress with enthusiasm. It is an efficient mechanism for boosting initiatives for solidarity and redistribution, as well for access to individual rights, without forgetting its vital importance for the internal development of our organization.
Almost 140 years have gone by since Henry Dunant, moved by compassion at the suffering of the wounded of the armies fighting at the Battle of Solferino, gave substance to his feelings by setting up societies, in different countries, to help the victims of wars. Those were the beginnings of a Red Cross, originally limited to a purely welfare role at times of war, but which are the solid foundations which sustains the Institution today.
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Henry Dunant |
Dunant and those others that participated at that moment of foundation, even then specified the essential characteristics that identify the organization today. Incorporated from the beginnings of the constitution of the initiative, were such requisites such as humanitarian aid without discrimination; the need to extend this to the largest possible international arena; and to limit the giving of help to those that wished to do so on a voluntary basis. It was also near the beginnings when the possibility of extending this provision of aid to those affected by peacetime calamities was first raised.
Although these conditions of service were taken on board then from conceptions of charity and philanthropy, I believe that they can properly be considered precursors of the present-day concept of solidarity which, happily, is taken up by an steadily increasing number of people. This is shown by the dynamism of countless organizations devoted to international cooperation and attention to those that are under-privileged living within societies enjoying the highest levels of general well-being. In the solidarity of this increasingly widespread response to flagrant and unjustifiable inequalities and situations of suffering, there is a special place for those that make up volunteer forces out of a determination not merely to alleviate such situations but to transform them.
At an institutional level, the experience of applying these first principles, in keeping with the evolution of social, scientific and technical thought, and events of the times, led to the humanitarian doctrine laid down, in 1965, in the seven Fundamental Principles, of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality. These are the guide that direct all members in all of the activities that make up the wide range of Red Cross and Red Crescent interventions around the world. It is a commitment that finds itself a place in any situation of human suffering whether affecting individuals or groups of people, and which, in the final analysis, seeks respect for and the effective application of human rights.
From the commitment to solidarity that is derived from these foundations, day by day we attempt to broaden and improve our humanitarian intervention. Faced by situations of adversity in which, whether by accident or design, a large proportion of humanity may be or may have been suffering, we seek to detect needs from knowledge of cause. In fact, as we have done since the beginning, we offer help, but that is now invariably linked to providing solutions, through the prevention of risks, and with the aim of turning desperate, deeply depressing circumstances into processes of prosperity within frameworks of coexistence.
This task has been taken on over the years of the institution's existence and as the situations that have required our humanitarian involvement have emerged. Today it includes aid in situations of armed conflict, between nations or within them; of those caused by disasters of all kinds and of the consequences of hunger, illness and misery caused by poverty; as well as those caused by the marginalization and exclusion of particular groups of people from the welfare provided by existing social structures.
The experience of all these years has shown us the dramatic consequences that the precarious nature and misuse of knowledge and scientific and technical resources have brought with them. And at the same time, we can recognise the enormous benefits when science and technology have been put at the disposal of human development. As for new technology, it is vital that we call on it to achieve universal reach in the shortest possible space of time. The advantages of this truly revolutionary technology can play a vital role in balancing opportunities for people and nations but, in the least desirable scenario, they can also increase already enormous inequalities.
In carrying out our work, structuring and developing an institutional organization adapted to our work and to achievement of our objectives have gone hand-in-hand. For this, it has been necessary to incorporate, as far as they were available, the necessary technological resources. This is happening today with the use of new technology, a vital tool for extending knowledge of our fundaments, for increasing the range and efficiency of humanitarian action and for optimising the resources available to carry this out.
Our founding organization was the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which today also includes 178 National Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in their respective countries and the International Federation they belong to, and which I have the honour to preside. Close to 100 million volunteers, men and women, carry out this work, practically around the world.
The ICRC, an independent institution, has always retained its original devotion to helping the victims of armed conflicts. Its experience has qualified it as a neutral intermediary in war zones, so much so that it has the international community's trust in watching over the application of International Humanitarian Law, the body of rules designed to protect non-combatants – whether civilians or prisoners of war – to see that it is watched over, and to limit the destructive potential of the use of weapons. Finally, it also seeks to give peace and the recovery of coexistence a chance, limiting violence as far as possible, and in doing so the prolongation of fear within communities. This legal document, subscribed to today by 180 States and better known as the Geneva Convention, has been backed from its beginnings by the ICRC itself.
The job of coordinating the joint humanitarian efforts of its members falls to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Its work is done in any emergency scenario, with the exception of those dealt with specifically by the ICRC, and helps to reduce, rebuild, and compensate for the damage caused by particular disasters or basic general needs which slow or prevent the development of the population of underprivileged countries or regions.
for their part, the National Societies in each country, together with their contribution to the shared institutional project, carry out aid plans appropriate to whatever humanitarian needs are to be found within their own communities. Naturally, the potential for action of each Red Cross or Red Crescent is proportional to the social and economic circumstances of their respective countries. In the International Federation we have made it a priority, out of internal solidarity, to strengthen the ability of those most precariously situated, providing them with the infrastructure necessary to carry out their tasks as a factor in the development of the society to which they belong.
It goes without saying that this division of tasks is designed to ensure coordination and efficiency in the carrying out of our mission, to advance towards achievement of our shared goals. And I again stress the unquestionable importance the use of new technology is acquiring, in all aspects of our work. It is precisely via this virtual space that the UOC offers me the opportunity to detail the convictions and hopes of those of us that, out of solidarity, participate in this humanitarian project.
My intention is that those who visit this space from now on should have the opportunity to look in depth at the history of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent as well as its role in the world today. In particular, I wish to make available to all the opportunity to detail as many aspects as are necessary in order to understand our ideals and know what our objectives are.
With this aim, it is possible to look, first, at the history, fundaments and structure of our organization. It is also possible to see our volunteers, the prime movers behind the Institution from its origins and who today, with their work and ethical convictions, go to show that the vulnerability people suffer from is avoidable. In the same way, we can look inside the increasing complexities of humanitarian intervention in international emergencies, during which situations of conflict and catastrophe frequently strike in conditions of extreme poverty and vulnerability. Finally, we can examine local initiatives, particularly as regards groups that are marginalized or excluded, taking the work of the Spanish Red Cross as an example.
Intentionally, all this comes with the support that new technology offers us and which our Institution has been incorporating into daily use. I think that it is a good formula for ratifying our convictions on the expectations opening in the humanitarian field. At the same time, from this stage, I would like to call for a humanitarian application of technology, with an invitation to the powers that be, to the representatives of civil society and to society as a whole to make an integrative, collective effort to take advantage of the opportunities for innovation and distribution of knowledge that cutting edge technology offers us.
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