There is something extremely paradoxical about the modern world. Different societies have become increasingly interdependent, the solutions to the problems facing them impossible to separate, yet at the same time the diversity of those societies is very marked, whether it stems from their growing disparity in terms of development or from the desire of individuals and communities to affirm their identity. As the twentieth century draws to a close, the challenge is to lay the foundations of the true spirit of human fellowship required to reduce disparities and inequality while respecting differences and identities.

A hazy or changeable concept, communication in its modern form as a technique for sending and receiving messages does not fit into any single or standard discipline. It extends outside the areas in which attempts are made to confine it, from the range of application of the humanities to the operational zones of telecommunications empires. After the ethnologists and sociologists, the linguists and the systems experts, the cyberneticists and the psychiatrists had attributed diverse meanings to it, communication in the broad sense and in its day-to-day reality entered its operational period in the 1980s with the new technology of information and communication.

In 1987 the Council of Delegates, recognizing the “solidarity of image” which exists between the various components of the Movement worldwide, invited the ICRC and the League to explore with National Societies “new and more systematic ways of promoting, whenever circumstances allow, public awareness of the Movement as a whole rather than its individual parts”.

Information and dissemination are integral parts of the present structural design of the Public Relations and Publications Department of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC). Although interrelated, the two activities have distinct functions and objectives that set them apart from each other. A system of this kind seems ideal for any National Society which, like the PNRC, is small in size and has meagre human and financial resources. Owing to budgetary constraints at the PNRC, the Head of the Public Relations and Publications Department has to run the “whole show”, except for the field of dissemination where another key person is in charge.

What is the true impact of Red Cross and Red Crescent information in the world today?

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's information policy, long a source of controversy, is considered by some to be insufficiently developed and in need of greater attention.

Since its foundation over 125 years ago, the Movement has constantly had to adapt its image to the changing times. This is no easy task for those in charge of shaping its multifaceted image and devising ways to alleviate human suffering, a source of perpetual violence.

The topic “Communication to promote community services” sounds simple, but it is vital because it points to the contribution that any health-oriented institution should make towards the general success of its undertakings.

On closer examination it will be seen that one basic communication task, which, however, involves a number of sub-tasks all geared towards achieving the same objectives, is the promotion of community services through publicity.

Ask any number of Dutchmen out in the street the name of a nonprofit organization and 93 out of 100 will spontaneously answer: the Netherlands Red Cross. And when you ask these 93 people for their appreciation of Red Cross activities, 92 of them will say: “Very good!”

I suppose your reaction will be: “That's fantastic! That means the Netherlands Red Cross has to invest hardly any energy in raising funds! The money comes rolling in automatically, so to speak.”

Henry Dunant very clearly understood the value of good communications or he never would have written A Memory of Solferino—a book that moved the conscience of nations to action. In the United States, Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was also a communicator. Unlike many of her time, she maintained good rapport with the press because she recognized the value of timeliness, human interest and repetition. What she conveyed to the public was an image of consistency and devotion to humanitarian ideals.

The Salvadorean Red Cross Society was founded on 13 March 1985. It has been in existence for 105 years, and so has a long record of service in the emergency situations that have arisen in El Salvador. These range from everyday emergencies in which it gives first aid, provides an ambulance service for sick and injured persons and processes and distributes blood, to major national disasters, especially earthquakes, and the internal conflict that has now been raging for more than then years.

Friday 5 May 1989, 9.00 a.m. Three days before Bulgaria and the whole world were to mark World Red Cross Day, the Head of the International Relations Department of the Bulgarian Red Cross, Alexander Marinov, and the journalist writing this article, were at the Radio Sofia studio where one of the most popular radio programmes, “Good Morning”, was being broadcast. We were taking part in a live broadcast in which, in the course of two hours, we would have to describe the activities of such an incredible humanitarian organization as the Red Cross. The audience was cross-examining us. The girls at the telephones could hardly manage to write down all the questions.

The strength of the Red Cross and Red Crescent resides in its structures, in its humanitarian mandate as defined in the Geneva Conventions and in the values enshrined in international humanitarian law. The Movement's Fundamental Principles further define its aims and give widely accepted guidelines for its activities. The National Societies with their local branches and volunteers provide the physical network that completes the structure and now covers the entire world.

Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the ICRC, travelled Namibia, Kenya, Uganda and Zaire from 19 to 30 March 1990.

In his speeches, talks with heads of State and government representatives and meetings with National Society leaders, diplomats, academics and journalists, the ICRC President stressed the need for humanitarian mobilization within the international community. He laid special emphasis on the following points:

– The ICRC spends half its field budget for its work in Africa. This major commitment corresponds to the needs resulting from the many armed conflicts and internal disturbances on the continent. The ICRC intends to continue its activities to help the civilian population, who are the main victims of these conflicts, and will adapt its emergency assistance wherever possible to ensure that the beneficiaries rapidly become self-sufficient.

With its nine war surgery hospitals treating thousands of wounded people in various parts of the world, the ICRC has gained unique experience in this area.

In order to make use of what it has learnt and spread that knowledge to others, a war surgery seminar was organized by the ICRC's Medical Division at the institution's headquarters from 30 March to April 1990. The seminar, which was opened by ICRC Vice-President Maurice Aubert, had the following objectives:

— recruit more surgeons to meet growing needs in the treatment war victims;

— prepare surgeons for medical missions in the field and especially for the particular demands of war surgery;

— set up a coherent and rigorous system to classify wounds using ballistics to understand the effects of war injuries on the human body and their implications in terms of surgery.

In April, the ICRC was able to start reducing the amount of food it had been providing to the population living on the Planalto. With the beginning of the harvest season, the people could once again count to a certain extent on their own crops to survive. The ICRC's agricultural engineers already anticipate however, that the harvest will not suffice to cover the population's needs beyond the month of October. In the second half of April, the ICRC began a new seed distribution programme on the Planalto. This programme will benefit some 55,000 families, each of which will receive 2.5 kg of seed.