Page 364 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International

which translates into a rapid response capability for conflicts as well as for
complex emergencies and natural dreamers. In addition to the expedition of
the implementation of programs due to the presence of and immediate contact
with the relevant players, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs in Geneva, is the only UN program which has a mandate for an
immediate response to natural disasters.

Today, I would like to share some of my thoughts with you on the evolving
perception of the humanitarian sphere from the United Nations perspective on
the threshold of a new millennium.

As we approach the year 2000 it is clear how increasingly interdependent
the world has become. The end of the Cold War and the advent of globaliza-
tion have made us conscious of problems which know no national boundaries
but affect all of us - the entire community of nations. Yet, in the end, it is

not this interconnectedness which must decide our policies - but humanity,
reason and justice which dictate that human welfare and security must be at the
center of our stratagems. Since its creation, and above all else, the United Nations
has been spurred to action by this fundamentally humanitarian imperative.

Contemporary conflict and its prevalent intra-State nature - in the last dec-
ade of this century has had clear international implications and international
humanitarian law and UN actions have been quick to respond to the same. Re-
cent years have witnessed a frightening persistence and intensity of conflicts and
have resulted in an increasing number of innocent, civilian casualties. The reality
of contemporary warfare is that 90 per cent of casualties are non-combatants
who are often deliberately targeted because of their ethnic or religious affiliation.
This contrasts sharply with figures from the First World War in which only 5 per
cent of all victims were civilians.

It is clear that current intra-State conflicts have implications in terms of
humanitarian emergencies, population displacement and violations of human
rights. Under such circumstances, although humanitarian action may assuage
suffering initially, it does not serve to resolve the political (or other) origin of
-
the problem. In the recent words of our Secretary General speaking at the
ICRC headquarters in Geneva: “The humanitarian work of the ICRC and the
United Nations has come under unprecedented stress in recent years. Civilians
have become the preferred targets of combatants so that even low intensity
conflicts generate enormous human suffering. Breaches of humanitarian law
and human rights have become almost routine means to an end. Humanitarian

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