Madam President,
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is pleased to participate in this High-level Meeting of the General Assembly for the WSIS+20 review.
The mandate of the ICRC, as set out in the Geneva Conventions and in the Statutes of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, is to provide humanitarian assistance to people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence and to promote the laws that protect victims of war. In today’s digital age, the ICRC’s mandate increasingly intersects with the evolution of global information and communication technologies.
Twenty years after the original WSIS vision, digital technologies have become deeply embedded in the functioning of societies. War and conflict are no exception; digital technologies are increasingly used in the conduct of hostilities between warring parties, including use of ICT infrastructure.
As a result, the protection challenges we confront today in armed conflict are not only physical but also digital. Medical services and impartial humanitarian operations are enabled by digital technologies that boost efficiency and extend reach; they now depend on data networks, cloud services, digital logistics, and remote diagnostic capabilities.
When these systems are disrupted—whether intentionally or not—the humanitarian consequences can be immediate and severe.
I highlight today one specific project aimed at ensuring that the protections afforded under International Humanitarian Law remain effective when ICTs are used by parties to armed conflict.
The Digital Emblem Project does not create new legal protections. Rather, just as an emblem on a building or a vehicle in the physical world, the digital emblem provides a technical means of identification and authenticity in the digital sphere, enabling parties to armed conflict to recognize digital assets that belong to protected medical or humanitarian actors. In other words, it is one measure to ensure that the protection that exists in the physical world is not lost in the digital sphere.
In additional to technical work at both the Internet Engineering Task Force and the International Telecommunication Union, the ICRC appreciates that the WSIS+20 process has offered opportunities for States and technical communities to engage on this topic – including at the high-level WSIS event in Geneva last July.
These discussions have underscored the importance of cooperation between diplomats, engineers, and humanitarian actors. The ICRC looks forward to continued collaboration with States, the private sector, and standard-setting bodies which are essential to ensuring that any future digital emblem is technically robust and globally implementable.
Excellencies,
As the international community charts the path forward for inclusive, secure, development-oriented, and resilient information societies, the ICRC stands ready to contribute its humanitarian expertise and to continue working with all stakeholders to prevent and mitigate harm to those most at risk during armed conflict.
Ensuring that the digital transformation enhances, rather than undermines, the protection of vulnerable populations is a shared responsibility.
Thank you, Madam President.
