American Red Cross Works For Recognition
of Israel's Magen David Adom
MDA Update 2002
The American Red Cross remains engaged in ongoing international dialogue to secure full membership for Magen David Adom (MDA) in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. On April 9 and October 2, 2002, International Services Vice President Gerry Jones attended meetings of a new international working group that has been tasked with continuing to address the emblem issue. The group consists of representatives from 10 national societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation).
The American Red Cross supports the working group's decision to proceed with a dual track approach to this issue. The approach encourages governments to move forward with a diplomatic conference to change international law regarding the emblems while simultaneously building confidence and operational collaboration between MDA and various components of the Movement. If governments fail to convene discussions on changes in the law, we hope that MDA's cooperative work will lead the ICRC and the Federation to interpret the rules to extend membership to MDA.
The working group has established a process to monitor implementation of the October 2001 Council of Delegates resolution that reaffirms the Movement's support for adopting a Third Protocol to the Geneva Conventions on emblems.
Although the original diplomatic conference to adopt this protocol was cancelled in October 2000 due to tensions in the Middle East, the current draft provides a foundation to allow MDA and the Eritrean Red Cross and Red Crescent Society to become members of the Federation with their current emblems intact.
The American Red Cross fully recognizes that, at this point, we only have a process for the recognition of MDA and not a guaranteed outcome. We will continue to withhold our dues from the Federation and our voluntary overhead contributions to the ICRC until an outcome is ensured.
In the meantime, we have also been working closely with MDA since the fall of 2001 to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between our organizations. This agreement focuses on collaboration in certain areas of activity such as preparedness for Weapons of Mass Destruction attacks, international tracing and family reunification, organizational development and international humanitarian law dissemination.
In February 2002, American Red Cross staff traveled to Israel to negotiate the terms of this MOU. In November 2002, MDA Director General Avi Zohar met with American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha J. Evans to discuss the MOU. David McLaughlin, Chairman of the American Red Cross and Yochanan Gur, Chairman of MDA, signed the MOU at MDA's headquarters in Israel on November 18, 2002.
The American Red Cross is committed to a close working relationship with MDA and remains steadfast in its support of MDA's quest for full recognition by the Movement and voting membership in the Federation. |
