The Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is the permanent statutory body of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the highest deliberative body of the Movement between the meetings of the Council of Delegates and the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. It was originally set up to coordinate cooperation between the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (previously known as the League of Red Cross Societies).

It consists of two representatives from the ICRC (including its president), two from the IFRC (including its president), and five individuals who are elected by the International Conference.7. Statutes of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Adopted by the 25th International Conference of the Red Cross at Geneva in 1986, amended in 1995 and 2006 There is also a permanent administrative Secretariat currently located at the ICRC Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. There have been 65 previous elected members of the Standing Commission, in addition to the 5 members who are currently serving. The Standing Commission is also responsible for giving out the Henry Dunant Medal (the Movement's highest award) and the Red Cross Red Crescent Prize for Peace and Humanity.

History The Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is the permanent statutory body of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the highest deliberative body of the Movement between the meetings of the Council of Delegates and the International Conference, as well as the trustee of the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.4. “Red Cross-Red Crescent Statutory Meetings-What’s What”, Pamphlet produced by the Secretariat of the Standing Commission in consultation with the ICRC and the IFRC. It was created during the 13th Red Cross Conference in The Hague, the Netherlands in 1928, under Article 18, resolution X.2. Résolutions et Vœux votés par la XIII’ Conférence Internationale de la Croix Rouge, La Haye, 27/28 Octobre 1928 It was set up, in part, to be a connecting force between the International Committee of the Red Cross and the League (today the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies), as there had been some disputes over how the Movement should be run and what level of autonomy the League should have. After years of disagreement, Colonel Paul Draudt who was vice-chairman of the League and Max Huber of the ICRC drafted a plan that formed the basis for the adoption of the “Statutes of the International Red Cross” in 1928. This resulted in the League being recognised as a full component of the Movement and helped build institutional stability and effectiveness. In order to help with this cooperation a new International Council was approved- which was the direct predecessor of the Standing Commission.3. Reid, Daphne A. and Patrick F. Gilbo. “Beyond Conflict. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 1919-1994”, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva 1997. Since then, the Standing Commission has been making arrangements for the International Conference (held every four years) such as setting the place and date, establishing the programme, preparing the provisional agenda for submission to the Council of Delegates as well as promoting the Conference, encouraging members of the Conference to make pledges and securing optimum attendance. It has also encouraged implementation of resolutions, examined issues of concern for the Movement and worked to promote cooperation and coordination within the different branches of the Movement.

Role and Mandate The Standing Commission's main role is to act as the trustee of the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The International Conference is the highest institutional body of the Movement and every four years members from the ICRC, IFRC, the National Societies as well as states and other relevant international actors meet to discuss humanitarian matters. In between the Conferences, the Standing Commission acts as the supreme body and is mandated to provide strategic guidance to all the components of the Movement, along with supervising the implementation of and compliance with the resolutions made during the International Conference. Its functions and goals are defined in article 18 of the Statutes of the Movement and have been further developed in the Council of Delegates (CoD) and International Conference resolutions.5. Résolutions et Vœux votés par la XIII’ Conférence Internationale de la Croix Rouge, La Haye, 27/28 Octobre 1928.

In addition to its responsibilities regarding arrangements for International Conferences and meetings of the council, the Standing Commission is responsible for cooperation and coordination within the Movement; making sure the resolutions from the International Conference are being implemented and followed.

Another purpose (in consultation with the ICRC, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and National Societies) is to provide strategic guidance in matters which concern the Movement as a whole. It prepares Movement-wide policies such as the Strategy for the Movement, which aims at coordination and cohesion in action.“Red Cross-Red Crescent Statutory Meetings-What’s What”, Pamphlet produced by the Secretariat of the Standing Commission in consultation with the ICRC and the IFRC. It is the only body in the Movement where all components are represented and which meets regularly on a permanent basis. For the implementation of its decisions, the Commission relies on the ICRC, the International Federation, and the National Societies as components of the Movement. In preparing Councils of Delegates and International Conferences, the Commission focuses on the inclusion of and consultation with National Societies, in order to try to stay in touch with local needs and with external developments."International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent", International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 91, Number 876, December 2009. The Standing Commission was also instrumental in bringing the Seville Agreement to the Council of Delegates for adoption to better regulate more cooperation between different components of the Movement. The Standing Commission convenes at least twice a year.

Membership

The Standing Commission has nine members, five elected from national societies but serving in a personal capacity; two from the International Committee of the Red Cross (one of whom serves as president); and two from the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). There is also a permanent administrative Secretariat located at the ICRC Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.ICRC archives, Geneva Headquarters, Switzerland

Previous and current elected members of the Standing Commission

Number Name National Society Gender Period 1 Pierre Nolf Belgian Red Cross Male 1930–34 2 Prince Tokugawa Japanese Red Cross Male 1930–38 3 Lady Novar British Red Cross Female 1930–34 4 Torolf Prytz Norwegian Red Cross Male 1930–34 5 Marquis de Hoyos Spanish Red Cross Male 1930–34 6 General D. Ricardo Burguete y Lana Spanish Red Cross Male 1934–38 7 Dr Ibrahim Refik Saydam Bey Turkish Red Crescent Society Male 1934–38 8 Alvaro Carlos Tourinho Brazilian Red Cross Male 1934–38 9 Sir Arthur Stanley British Red Cross Male 1934–46 10 Axel Hultkranz Swedish Red Cross Male 1938–48 11 Dr Chao Phya Bijayanati Thai Red Cross Male 1938–48 12 Dr Pedro Vignau Argentinian Red Cross Male 1938–48 13 Senator Giuseppe de Michelis Italian Red Cross Male 1938–48 14 Count Folke Bernadotte Swedish Red Cross Male 1946–48 15 André François-Ponçet French Red Cross Male 1948–65 16 Tom Willmott Sloper Brazilian Red Cross Male 1948–65 17 Ali Rana Tarhan Turkish Red Crescent Male 1948–52 18 Henrik Beer Swedish Red Cross Male 1949–51 19 Lord Woolton British Red Cross Male 1952–57 20 Boris Pachkov Russian Red Cross Male 1952–57 21 James Thomas Nicholson American Red Cross Male 1951–57 22 Rajkumari Amrit Kaur Indian Red Cross Female 1952–57 23 General Alfred Maximilian Gruenther American Red Cross Male 1957–65 24 Prof Georgy Miterev Russian Red Cross Male 1957–73 25 Angela Countess of Limerick British Red Cross Female 1965–73 26 General F. Collins American Red Cross Male 1965–73 27 Hans (Ritter von) Lauda Austrian Red Cross Male 1965–69 28 Sir Geoffrey Newman-Morris Australian Red Cross Male 1965–77 29 Dr Ahmed Djebli-Elaydouni Moroccan Red Crescent Male 1969–73 30 Dr Nadejda Troyan Russian Red Cross Female 1973–77 31 George Aitken Canadian Red Cross Male 1973–77 32 Alexandra Issa-el-Khoury Lebanese Red Cross Female 1973–77 33 Sir Evelyn Shuckburgh British Red Cross Male 1973–81 34 Dr Kai Warras Finnish Red Cross Male 1977–86 35 HE Dr Ahmed Abu-Goura Jordan National Red Crescent Male 1977–81 36 OMR Prof Dr Werner Ludwig German Red Cross Male 1977–81 37 Rito Alcantara Senegalese Red Cross Male 1977–81 38 R. James Kane Canadian Red Cross Male 1981–86 39 Soehanda Ijas Indonesian Red Cross Male 1981–95 40 Dr Janos Hantos Hungarian Red Cross Male 1981–95 41 Hon Byron Hove Zimbabwe Red Cross Male 1986–99 42 Dr Botho Prinz su Sayn Wittgenstein-Hohenstein German Red Cross Male 1986–95 43 Mavy Harmon Brazilian Red Cross Female 1986–95 44 Véronique Ahouanmenou Red Cross of Benin Female 1993–95 45 Guillermo Rueda Montaña Colombian Red Cross Male 1995–99 46 Princess Christina Magnuson Swedish Red Cross Female 1995–03 47 Princess Margriet Netherlands Red Cross Female 1995–03 48 Tadateru Konoe Japanese Red Cross Male 1995–03 49 General Georges Hanouk Lebanese Red Cross Male 1998–99 50 Prof Mamoun Yousif Hamid The Sudanese Red Crescent Male 1999–99 51 Dr Abdul-Rahman Al-Swailam Saudi Red Crescent Authority Male 1999–03 52 Dr Freddy Karup Pedersen Danish Red Cross Male 2003–07 53 Janet M. Davidson Canadian Red Cross Female 2003–07 54 Philippe Cuvillier French Red Cross Male 2003–07 55 Zoy Katevas de Sclabos Chilean Red Cross Female 2003–07 56 Adama Diarra Mali Red Cross Male 2007–11 57 Eamon Harrison Courtenay Belize Red Cross Male 2007–11 58 Greg Vickery Australian Red Cross Male 2011–2019 59 Steven E. Carr American Red Cross Male 2007–2015 60 H.E. Dr Mohammed Al-Hadid Jordan National Red Crescent Society Male 1999–2015 61 Dr Massimo Barra Italian Red Cross Male 2007–2019 62 Hon. Pär Stenback Finnish Red Cross Male 2011–2015 63 Eva von Oelreich Swedish Red Cross Female 2015–2017 64 Chrystold Chetty Red Cross Society of Seychelles Male 2015–2019 65 George Weber Canadian Red Cross Society Male 2015- 66 Ibrahim Osman The Sudanese Red Crescent Male 2017–2019 67 Mercedes Babé Spanish Red Cross Female 2019- 68 Abbas Gullet Kenya Red Cross Society Male 2019- 69 Dr Hilal Al Sayer Kuwait Red Crescent Society Male 2019- 70 Fine Tu'itupou Arnold Cook Islands Red Cross Society Female 2019-

The Henry Dunant Medal

The Henry Dunant Medal is the highest award of the Red Cross Movement and is presented and awarded by the Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The Standing Commission makes up to five awards every two years.10. "What is the Henry Dunant Medal?". Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Pamphlet The medal is awarded in order to “recognise and reward outstanding services and acts of great devotion, mainly of international significance, to the cause of the Red Cross/Red Crescent by any of its members.” Special weight is put on the international significance of a potential recipient's acts or service. The medal was first given in 1969 and 149 individuals have received the award since then.“50 Years of the Henry Dunant Medal: Honouring the Winners”, booklet produced by the Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, 2013.

Red Cross Red Crescent Prize for Peace and Humanity