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General Assembly

13th Session of the General Assembly Geneva, 7-10 November 2001

The General Assembly drew up Terms of References for the Statutotry Commission, and included the following paragraph:

“To ensure that in all policy and programming recommendations, capacity building, gender perspectives, and volunteer and youth promotion/participation have been taken into consideration and that due regard is given to Human Resources implications.”

The General Assembly adopted a Declaration on HIV/AIDS, which included the following paragraph:

“Prevention

We will educate our communities on HIV transmission, facilitate gender equity and other behavioral changes. We will convey culturally sensitive, straightforward messages and promote life skills (e.g. communication and negotiation skills, and management of options including abstinence, mutual fidelity, and the use of condoms). We will promote access to services which prevent mother to child transmission. We will promote voluntary and confidential counseling and testing”

The General Assembly adopted a Policy on “INTEGRATING RELIEF, REHABILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT”, which includes the following paragraph:

“Use relief as an opportunity to enhance local capacities. Identify and build upon coping mechanisms, use local material and resources and take measures that regenerate livelihoods and local economies. There is a need to adapt programming to the socio-economic, cultural and environmental context as well as to understand gender-related needs. Employ participatory methodologies in assessment and programming”

The General Assembly approved (?) a “REPORT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WORKING GROUPS ON GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON HIV/AIDS” which contained the following paragraph:

Acknowledged the existence of a solid basis for Red Cross and Red Crescent work against stigma and discrimination, deeply rooted in our Fundamental Principles and our policy framework. The Red Cross and Red Crescent must be open to all in every country regardless of race, religion, sex and their HIV/AIDS status”

One woman was elected Vice President:

  • Mrs Janet Davison, Canadian RC

One woman was elected to the Finance Commission:

  • Mrs. Y. Valle-Neff

One woman was appointed to chair one of several working groups on “Advocacy, Communications and Partnerships; Global Public Health Issues, with particular emphasis on HIV/AIDS; and Effective Volunteering”; as a part of “Defining the general policy for the Governing Board”

  • Mrs. F. Teixeira, Mozambique RC

Two women were elected to te Disaster Relief and Response Commission:

  • Mrs. Ida Victorine Ngampolo, Congolese RC
  • Mrs.Oktamkhon T.Vakhidova, Uzbek RC

Two women were elected to the Youth Commission:

  • Mrs. Temirova Gulzat, Kyrgyzstan RC
  • Mrs. Mary H. DeKuyper, American RC
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General Assembly

7th Session of the General Assembly, Geneva, 15 November 1989

“DECISION 26

Safe Motherhood

The General Assembly,

Concerned that as a result of pregnancy and childbirth more than 500, 000 women die every year and many millions more suffer from pain and disability for the rest of their lives,

Aware that almost all of the death, disease and disability resulting from pregnancy and childbirth takes place in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and that the risk of dying in pregnancy and childbirth is about 100 times greater in “developing” than “developed” countries,

Realising that the majority disabilities could be prevented by of these deaths, diseases and the implementation of existing knowledge and appropriate interventions,

Appreciating that the interventions will need to be wide-ranging and varied because of the many different causes, direct and indirect, of the problems resulting from pregnancy and childbirth (including inadequate access to and use of educational, employment, financial, nutritional, family planning, preventive and curative health services),

Recognising that improving the health of women and making pregnancy and childbirth safer will have a profound effect on families and communities and will make a major contribution to development,

Aware that governments, inter-governmental and nongovernmental organisations have joined forces through the “Safe Motherhood Initiative” with the aim of decreasing maternal mortality by at least half by the year 2000,

Realising that appropriate health promotion and disease prevention activities during pregnancy and childbirth also need to be assured for women in industrialised countries,

Cognizant of a number of Resolutions and Recommendations previously adopted by the General Assembly which have an important bearing on the health of girls and women, notably those focusing on Women in Development, Primary Health Care and CHILD ALIVE,

Aware of the many diverse activities that Red Cross – and Red Crescent Societies are already undertaking which will make a positive contribution to improving, both directly and indirectly, the health and well-being of women,

Urges the Secretary General to reaffirm once the commitment of the League to improving the educational status and health of girls and women through broad-based development programmes which will empower women to articulate and act upon their needs,

Requests all National Societies to strengthen and develop their existing activities and links with other organisations, in order to contribute more effectively to the Safe Motherhood Initiative through general activities that will improve the health of girls and women, and through specific activities which support national programmes to improve the services for women before, during and after pregnancy and childbirth,

Requests the Secretary General to take a strong mobilising and coordinating role, to ensure that National Societies are informed about the magnitude of the problem, its causes and solutions; to help identify possible activities that National Societies could carry out, based on their existing programmes, capacity and commitments; to assist with the identification and mobilisation of appropriate financial and other resources needed to support such activities; and to maintain close collaboration and communication with the World Health Organization and other inter-governmental and nongovernmental organisations involved with the Safe Motherhood Initiative,

Appeals to all National Societies to endeavour that sufficient human, financial and other resources are available to develop and sustain the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ involvement with the Safe Motherhood Initiative”.

“DECISION 33

Women in Red Cross/Red Crescent Development

The General Assembly,

Recalling the Decision of the VIth General Assembly in 1987 which requested the League “to draw up a plan of action to safeguard that the resources and potential of women can be fully utilized to the benefit of development work in the Red Cross/Red Crescent”,

Further recalling Resolution No. XV of the XXIIIrd International Conference of the Red Cross in 1977 in which Governments and National Societies ar8 urged to “raise the status of women socially and economically by providing opportunities for learning and leadership”,

Noting with satisfaction that the Henry Dunant Institute in collaboration with the League Secretariat conducted a study on the role of Women in the Red Cross/Red Crescent in which almost one hundred National Societies participated,

Mindful of the fact that numerous National Societies part icipat ing in the study on Women in the Red Cross/Red Crescent registered dissatisfaction with the current level of female participation,

Taking into consideration the recommendations from the Women in Development Seminar arranged by the Nordic Red Cross Societies in Norway, June 1989,

Endorses the Plan of Act ion on women in Red Development presented by the Secretary General determination to realize its proposals,

Cross/Red Crescent and expresses its

Acknowledges in particular the need for concrete policies and sustained commitments to strengthen the role of women in Red Cross/Red Crescent development,

Urges National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies:

– to respond to the needs of women in all services and training programmes,

– to ensure that women assume a legitimate share of responsibility in determining priorities and implementing policies and programmes,

– to create a favourable environment for the advancement of women

in managerial and decision-making positions,

– to share with each other and the League information, support and financial assistance towards the ultimate goal of attaining equal opportunities for men and women in all Red Cross/Red Crescent work,

Urges the League in cooperation with the ICRC to submit to the Council of Delegates in 1991 a report on the results achieved within the components of the Movement in cooperation with the Henry Dunant Institute,

Requests the Secretary General:

– to initiate and coordinate fund-raising efforts for the implementation of the Plan of Action,

– to ensure that League-coordinated disaster relief and development programmes take into account women‘s resources and needs, in particular in implementing the strategic Work Plan of the League for the 90’s,

– to initiate and coordinate the financing and organisation of regional workshops that will draw up regional action plans for the advancement of women,

– to design and implement a strategy to increase the number of competent women in management and senior delegate positions, whereby the Secretariat may serve as a model for National Societies,

– to present progress reports on the implementation of the Plan of Action to each session of the Executive Council between the session of the General Assembly.

  • One woman mentioned in context of new agreement ICRC/League:

“DECISION 9

Agreement between the ICRC and the League

The General Assembly,

Ratifies the Agreement between the ICRC and the League, upon the recommendation of the Executive Council, and

Congratulates the Chairman, Mrs. S. Spiljak, and the members of the League-ICRC Working Party.”

Two women elected to the Finance Commission:

  • Mrs Ebtisam Abdel Wahab Farag, Egyptian RC
  • Mrs. Izabela Gutfeter, Polish RC

A woman elected Chairman of the Youth Commission:

  • Mrs. Susan Douglas, Fiji RC
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General Assembly

5th Session of the General Assembly Geneva, 18 – 20 October 1986

“DECISION 26, Plan for Red Cross Action in the Struggle Against Racism and Racial Discrimination” contains the paragraph:

“Convinced that the evils of racial discrimination including the practice of apartheid, which relegate millions of men, women and children to lead a life of abject misery and bondage in their own

countries should be eliminated from the world”

One woman elected to the drafting commission:

  • Mrs. Maria Luisa Torres de la Cruz, Chilean RC
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General Assembly

4th Session of the General Assembly Geneva, 20-24 October 1985

Nothing of substance noted.

Four individual women are mentioned: two as members of the Committee of Scrutineers, two among the nine Vice Presidents.

The members of the Committee of Scrutineers were

  • Mrs B. Maige, Burkina Faso
  • Mrs M. De Mencia, Honduras

The two Vice Presidents were

  • Mrs. Siga Seye Coulibaly, Senegal RC
  • Mrs. Mariapia Fanfani, Italian RC
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General Assembly

3rd Session of the General Assembly Geneva, November 1983

Nothing of substance noted.

Three women were appointed members of the 19-strong League delegation to the Council of Delegates:

Mrs. Stefa Spiljak, Vice President

Mrs. Y. Camporini, Adviser, Statutory Matters

Mrs. D. Miserez, Relief Officer

One woman, Mrs. Alga de Franco of Colombia, was appointed member of the Drafting Committee.

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General Assembly

1st Session of the General Assembly, Geneva, 4-6 October,1979

“Decision No.6

Conditions for the profile of the Secretary General of the League

The General Assembly,

having examined the recommendations of the Executive Council re- lating to the conditions to be laid down by the General Assembly for the appointment of the Secretary General of the League. as required by Article 18.1 of the Constitution,

adopts the following conditions which should be sought in selecting a candidate (male or female) for the office of Secretary General: …”

“Decision No. 20

Report of the Nursing Advisory Committee

The General Assembly,

Having studied the report of the Nursing Advisory Committee,

Approves the report and congratulates the Committee on its excellent work. “

“Recommendation No.2

Florence Nightingale Medal

The General Assembly,

Having studied the recommendation of the Nursing Advisory Committee relating to the Revision of the Regulations for the award of the Florence Nightingale Medal,

Considering that some points in the Regulations for the award of the Florence Nightingale Medal should be clarified,

Considering that in view of the greater number of National Societies in process of formation- there should be an increase in the number of medals awarded every two. years,

Recommends to the International Committee of the Red Cross to propose to the International Conference of the Red Cross to reconsider the Regulations for the Florence Nightingale Medal (as revised in 1952), and, Recommends that at least one nurse be a member of the selection committee for the award of the medal.”

Recommendation No.3

Recommendation of the Nursing Advisory Committee

The General Assembly,

Having studied the recommendations of the Nursing Advisory Committee,

Endorses these recommendations as follows:

Appropriate Technology in Primary Health Care

Urges National Societies:

a) to encourage Red Cross personnel to identify community needs in respect of village technology that could improve the quality of life and contribute to health promotion;

b) to improve such personnel with guidelines on how to assist with the developments of such projects;

c) to motivate authorities concerned with the education and training of community health nurses, midwives and other, categories of health service personnel to include in the courses offered, those aspects of the need for village technology, and of the methods of implementation, that the particular category of health personnel could adopt tb motivate village communities to identify such needs and to take steps to develop the village technology appropriate to their circumstances.

“Nursing and Youth

Recommends the Secretary General of the League: 

– to develop and/or review health programmes for children and adolescents;

– to urge Nursing Directors/Advisers from National Red Cross Societies to strengthen the

cooperation with National Red Cross Youth Directors in order to ensure active participation of

Youth in Nursing and Community Health Programmes;

– to encourage professional orientation for youth towards Nursing and other health professions”.