It is rare in the field of humanitarian action for anniversaries to be celebrated. Yet some achievements in history cannot fail to be remembered and serve as inspiration. The adoption of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, which remains the fundamental instrument for refugee protection, is one such achievement. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, I would like to reiterate the ICRC's strong support for the 1951 Convention and the principles set out therein. I would also like to take the opportunity to commend the vital role played by UNHCR in providing help for refugees in so many places around the world.

I am pleased to join the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross in introducing this special edition of the Review focusing on the 50th anniversaries of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees. This tribute has special significance for us at UNHCR, as we see the ICRC and the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent as among our closest partners on the humanitarian frontlines.

During the 1948–1949 conflict in Palestine, the ICRC conducted a major operation for the wounded and the sick, the prisoners of war and civilian victims of the conflict. It was also one of the first international organizations to provide Palestinian refugees with concrete help: to begin with, starting in July 1948, through the delegation it had opened several months earlier in Palestine to carry out its traditional protection and assistance work there; later, by setting up the ICRC Commissariat for Relief to Palestine Refugees, which, alongside other organizations, acted as a distribution agency within the framework of the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees. In 1950, this activity was taken over by UNWRA.

In the course of half a century of political turmoil and civil war in Colombia, a large number of civilians have fled their homes or been forcefully removed to other places. The author gives an overview of UNHCR and ICRC activities for these internally displaced persons. While UNHCR strives mainly to strengthen their ability to cope, the ICRC specializes in direct assistance to displaced persons and pursues its traditional protection work. Action taken for Colombian refugees in neighbouring countries is also discussed.

The Secretary-General of the Albanian Red Cross reports on action taken by her National Society in response to the massive flow of refugees into Albania from neighbouring Kosovo in the spring of 1999. Pandora Ketri shows how a National Society, only a few years after it started to gain strength, met an enormous challenge and coped with huge difficulties. Though the Albanian Red Cross could count on support from other National Societies, the International Federation and the ICRC, the members of this young Society had to bear the brunt of the work. The experience gained through its activities for refugees from Kosovo helped the Albanian Red Cross consolidate its position as a member of the Movement and as a full-fledged relief society.

Since its foundation in 1866 the Swiss Red Cross has been actively involved in caring for refugees who fled their countries of origin to neutral Switzerland. During the various wars in Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and above all the Second World War, the Swiss Red Cross set up shelters for thousands of refugees, with particular emphasis on care for children. With the fall of the Iron Curtain in the heart of Europe and especially the growing influx of migrants from the south, the Swiss Red Cross has had to find different ways of helping with refugee crises. The article discusses the various steps in this ongoing process of adapting its policy to new circumstances.

We are all aware that we are passing through a phase characterized by rapid changes involving concepts that transcend cultures and utilize mechanisms that some societies may be unable to understand. Since the end of the Cold War, which had troubled international relations for more than fifty years, the parameters of contemporary international relations have evolved within the framework of the concept of globalization.

I do not think that anyone questions the political, economic, social or cultural impact of globalization. The present differences of opinion concern assessment of the extent of the adverse consequences of this impact on human society, and especially on communities in the Third World, many of which are still living in backward conditions.