Council of Delegates 2009: Resolution 2

Strategy for the Movement (adopted in COD 2001; revised in COD 2005) aims to strengthen the components of the Movement, improve the Movement's effectiveness and efficiency, and the Movement's image and relations with governments and external actors. This Resolution calls for further implementation of the Strategy, assigns tasks to National Societies, ICRC, Federation and the Standing Commission, and calls for an evaluation of the Strategy.

Council of Delegates of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Nairobi, Kenya, 23-25 November 2009

The 2009 Council of Delegates,

recalling Resolution 7 of the 2007 Council of Delegates on the Strategy for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement Strategy) and the further work called for in that resolution;

appreciating the consolidated report on the implementation of the Strategy by the components of the Movement;

welcoming the work undertaken on the Movement fora and Statutory bodies (Action 4) and the comprehensive reviews undertaken by the Standing Commission, in particular the findings regarding implementation by National Societies of decisions taken at past Movement meetings;

further welcoming the work on how to more effectively present the Movement’s key messages for use and influence through RC/RC humanitarian diplomacy (Action 8);

reaffirming the validity of the existing rules governing the use of the emblems, notably those contained in the 1949 Geneva Conventions, their Additional Protocols and the 1991 Regulations on the use of the emblem by the National Societies, and emphasizing the vital importance of respect for those rules to guarantee the protective value of the emblems and access to people in need of protection and assistance and to strengthen the identity of the Movement; 

welcoming the Study on Operational and Commercial and other Non-operational Issues Involving the Use of the Emblems (the Study) prepared by the ICRC, in consultation with States, National Societies and the International Federation, reaffirming the validity of the Strategy and the importance and relevance of its strategic objectives;

1. invites all components of the Movement to complete the 10 actions in the Strategy for the Movement by 2011;

2. calls on the Standing Commission, the ICRC and the International Federation to take concrete steps to improve the dialogue with and the involvement of National Societies in the preparation of the 2011 statutory meetings in the interest of better ownership and implementation of the results of those meetings;

3. further calls on the International Federation and the ICRC, to enhance their monitoring mechanisms, involving their regional structures, for improved feedback from National Societies on the implementation of resolutions adopted by this Council and coming statutory meetings and to share the findings with the Standing Commission;

4. invites the Standing Commission to continue its work on reducing the complexities of the Movement fora in close consultation with National Societies, the ICRC and the International Federation and to present its proposals for change, as relevant, to the 2011 Council of Delegates;

5. invites National Societies to communicate to the Standing Commission and its working group their views and thoughts on options for better alignment of Movement fora;

6. invites the ICRC and the Federation to analyse the ‘Our World – Your Move’ – campaign in relation to the expected results of Action 8 in the Movement Strategy to help guide all components on how to better communicate the Movement’s key messages;

7. calls on the Standing Commission, with the International Federation and the ICRC, to present to the 2011 Council of Delegates an evaluation of the achievement of the strategic objectives and the expected results in the ten actions of the Movement Strategy;

8. requests the Standing Commission to examine the necessity of and prepare a Strategic Framework for the Movement as a continuation of the present Strategy, as needed, taking into account experiences and lessons learnt from the evaluation and internal and external challenges facing the Movement;

9. calls upon components of the Movement to implement and promote the recommendations of the Study to enhance the implementation of the rules governing the use of the emblems.