"The Red Crystal" approved

Sunday january 14th, the red crystal was approved as a emblem for protection by The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

I will not comment the symbol itself, but rather say something in general about our restless world. We have had conflicts since the beginning of time, and we will probably have conflicts until the end of it. This emblem gives me a sort of a reassurance that the "good guys" also will be here til the end of time.

Read more about the emblem debate on The International Red Cross´s pages.

I got this comment from "Anonymous" two days after the post:

Thank you for highlighting this poece of good news. As a spoilsport I cannot resist the temptation to offer a couple of small clarifications. The Red Crystal was not approved on 14 January, that was the date when the "Third Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions" was approved, which approved the new emblem. This protocol was adopted in December 2005, ratified first by Norway, and the by Switzerland - the latter on 14 July 2006. The Protocol itself stipulates that it comes into force 6 months after two States have ratified, hence the 14 Januar 2007.

Secondly, the reference to the "International Red Cross" is somewhat misleading. There are three bodies which might claim that name: "International Committee of the Red Cross" (ICRC), whose website you point to, the "International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies" (IFRC), which may be found at www.ifrc.org, and the Standing Comission of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Standing Commission) whose website is, if memory serves me right, www.standcom.info.

I offer these observations in the spirit of support and appreciation, not as a criticism. The Red Cross / Red Crescent has endured for more than 140 years, quite sufficient time to get complicated, and - boy - have we achieved that!