This message was reinforced with authorities in Fiji last week, during a high-level mission by the ICRC’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Régis Savioz. His visit to Fiji marked the first leg of his mission to the Pacific, which will also include New Zealand and Australia.
“We have a shared responsibility to uphold the rules of war. When international humanitarian law is respected, lives are saved, and communities have a chance to rebuild,” said Mr. Savioz.
“The humanitarian challenges we face today are immense, but by strengthening our partnerships, we can make a difference for the millions of people affected by conflict globally," he said.
Mr. Savioz engaged with Fiji’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces to highlight the Global Initiative on International Humanitarian Law.
His visit to Fiji also reinforced the collective response of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners in the country. Mr. Savioz met with the Fiji Red Cross Society, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), and representatives from the Solomon Islands, French, and Japanese Red Cross Societies.
Mr. Savioz will continue his Pacific mission in New Zealand this week to meet with the government and Red Cross Movement partners.
About the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (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:
Jo Naisua, ICRC Regional Communications/Cooperation Officer (Suva, Fiji)
Phone: +6797359217
Email: jnaisua@icrc.org
Will Swanson, ICRC Communications Officer (Canberra, Australia)
Tel : +61 0408 598 485
Email : wswanson@icrc.org
