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| The number of conflicts in which ICRC operates continues to rise each year. "I think there is a humanitarian component, which we will continue to insist ... has to be taken care of," Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross said. (File photo by=AP/Keystone, Salvatore Di Nolfi) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] BRUSSELS: The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Thursday (Jun 10) that the EU needs to respect refugee law as it copes with migration flows, many of which are triggered by wars, AFP reported. Peter Maurer underscored that point in an interview with AFP touching on many of the conflicts in which the Swiss-based ICRC is working.
Generally, the last decade has seen a multiplication of conflicts, where "each year we think we may have one less conflict - and then we add two more", he said. "One of the consequences of violence in many places is migration, is displacement, is irregular displacements: When we look at the 25 largest operations of ICRC, they come from regions which at the end of the day are at the origin of more than 80 percent of irregular displacements in the world."
Speaking in Brussels, where he’s detailing ICRC's humanitarian operations to EU officials in charge of funding many of his organization's activities, Maurer emphasized that the European Union should uphold its much-vaunted commitment to international humanitarian law. The ICRC itself has taken on changes under Maurer to better work in the increasing number of conflict areas, notably by boosting reliance on, and responsibilities, of its local workers in countries where it operates.
