China: Photo exhibition opens in Beijing to mark 160 years of humanitarian action

Co-hosted by the ICRC, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Xinhua News Agency, the exhibition will be held till 27 September 2023 in Beijing.

ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric, who is in Beijing on her first official visit to China, said,

There are 100 steps to peace, and the first steps are humanitarian action.

In expressing the ICRC's commitment to sharing its experience and insights and forging stronger humanitarian partnerships with China. President Spoljaric said, "Together, we endeavour to create the optimal conditions conducive to restoring peace and stability."

Party secretary and executive vice-president of the RCSC, Wang Ke, emphasized that as an important member of the Movement, the RCSC has been deeply committed to humanitarian action both domestically and internationally since its establishment in 1904. The RCSC is eager to collaborate with its partners within the Movement to take concrete actions to implement President Xi Jinping's initiatives for global development, global security, and global civilization. This commitment is driven by the aspiration to contribute to the unity and development of the Movement, to promote the modernization of global governance systems and capabilities, and to join forces in building a community with a shared future for mankind and a better world.

Yuan Bingzhong, vice-president of Xinhua News Agency, echoed President Spoljaric's emphasis on partnerships and highlighted the agency's close partnership with the RCSC, the ICRC and the IFRC in recent years. "These partnerships have empowered us to produce a wide array of multimedia news reports covering critical global humanitarian issues, international aid endeavors and other key topics that have garnered widespread acclaim within the international community," he said.

Olga Dzhumaeva, Head of the East Asia Delegation of the IFRC, said: "we gather here today to commemorate a remarkable journey spanning 160 years of humanitarian commitment with the red cross and red crescent emblems becoming a universal sign of hope for people in humanitarian crises." She expressed that our humanitarian services, guided by the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence, continue to be highly relevant.

Featuring more than 70 captivating images from the battlefield of Solferino, Italy in 1859 to present-day conflicts including those in Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen, the photo exhibition showcases the humanitarian impact of violence and the evolution of the Movement over the last 160 years. The exhibition also features photographs from Xinhua News Agency, highlighting its significant role in reporting on global humanitarian action.

About the ICRC

The ICRC is a neutral, impartial and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.

For more information, please contact:

Shuangfeng Zhang, ICRC Beijing, tel: +86 10 85328507, email: szhang@icrc.org
or visit our website: www.icrc.org
To preview and download the latest ICRC video footage in broadcast quality, go to
www.icrcvideonewsroom.org
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