To ensure that it is respected, international humanitarian law (IHL) requires mechanisms for its implementation. Most of these are known and have proved their worth, whether as means of prevention, control or repression. They do however have their limitations and, in this sense, the International Fact-Finding Commission provided for in Article 90, Protocol I, fills a gap.

The early 1980s marked a turning point for humanitarian aid. During those years most of the major emergency relief agencies became aware that steps were needed to heighten the efficiency of their assistance to disaster victims.

New policies were therefore introduced to:

• promote preventive measures,

• codify assessment methods,

• standardize medicines and equipment,

• rationalize intervention criteria, and

• improve coordination among humanitarian organizations.

On 20 November 1990, the twentieth State made a declaration recognizing ipso facto and without special agreement, in relation to any other participating State accepting the same obligation, the competence of an International Fact-Finding Commission whose task it will be to investigate allegations by any such State. Article 90 of Protocol I additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 provides for the setting up of the Commission once 20 States have recognized its competence. The Commission will be competent to enquire into any facts alleged to be a grave breach as defined in the Conventions and Protocol I or other serious violation of those instruments and to facilitate, through its good offices, the restoration of an attitude of respect for the Conventions and the Protocol.

This address was given by the ICRC President at the opening of the fourth of a series of expert meetings which considered the use of new laser weapons to permanently blind enemy soldiers.

The ICRC had initially been alerted to this problem by the mention, in a number of technical and military publications, of the fact that both vehicle-mounted lasers and hand-held laser rifles are being developed which appear to have two purposes: the destruction of sensors on vehicles, and the targeting of soldiers' eyes. Several governments voiced their concern about this development at the International Conference of the Red Cross in 1986 and the ICRC decided to study the subject in more detail.

In many respects, observer status for the ICRC will place the practical co-operation that already existed between the institution and the United Nations on a stronger legal basis. It will also spare the ICRC the considerable drain on its resources that was necessary, when it had only consultative status, to bring its pragmatic inter arma caritas proposals before the United Nations.

Disasters are not merely very large accidents. They imply complex public health problems that must be resolved under difficult circumstances: society's normal coping mechanisms are disrupted; the high visibility and critical coverage provided by the mass media make the situation politically sensitive; logistic nightmares abound; the multi-agency response from outside the affected area is often poorly coordinated. In short, decision-making in a climate of uncertainty is the norm. Information management, not the medical management of patients, is often the main challenge facing health managers and volunteers in the initial or relief stage of a disaster.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is deeply concerned about the gravity of the situation in Yugoslavia and its consequences in humanitarian terms.

“Health for All by the Year 2000” has been a major goal, an important rallying cry for individuals and organizations around the world concerned about improving the physical, mental and social well-being of vulnerable people. Of course it has been a somewhat idealistic goal, as has the World Health Organization's definition of health. However, it has served a useful function, both in terms of what it says positively about our vision for the future and also by reminding us, implicitly if not explicitly, that for many hundreds of millions of people the reality is still very far from the dream.

In its January-February 1991 issue, the Review informed its readers of the successive representations made by the ICRC from the outbreak of the Middle East conflict both to the States party to the conflict and to the other States to remind them of their obligations under the Geneva Conventions. In particular, the ICRC sent a note verbale on 14 December 1990 to the 164 States party to the Conventions, together with a Memorandum on the applicability of international humanitarian law, and launched appeals to the belligerent States on 17 January and 1 and 24 February 1991.

At its latest meeting on 26 and 27 June 1991, the Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross appointed a new member, Ms. Francesca Pometta. Her appointment brings the membership of the Committee, which is composed exclusively of Swiss citizens, to 22.