View previous stories
	The Meaning of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday by Coretta Scott King Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change USA   18 Jan. 2016   The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America. We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example — the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.   We commemorate Dr. King’s inspiring words, because his voice and his vision filled a great void in our nation, and answered our collective longing to become a country that truly lived by its noblest principles. Yet, Dr. King knew that it wasn’t enough just to talk the talk, that he had to walk the walk for his words to be credible. And so we commemorate on this holiday the man of action, who put his life on the line for freedom and justice every day, the man who braved threats and jail and beatings and who ultimately paid the highest price to make democracy a reality for all Americans.   The King Holiday honors the life and contributions of America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality, the leader who not only dreamed of a color-blind society, but who also lead a movement that achieved historic reforms to help make it a reality.   On this day we commemorate Dr. King’s great dream of a vibrant, multiracial nation united in justice, peace and reconciliation; a nation that has a place at the table for children of every race and room at the inn for every needy child. We are called on this holiday, not merely to honor, but to celebrate the values of equality, tolerance and interracial sister and brotherhood he so compellingly expressed in his great dream for America.   It is a day of interracial and intercultural cooperation and sharing. No other day of the year brings so many peoples from different cultural backgrounds together in such a vibrant spirit of brother and sisterhood. Whether you are African-American, Hispanic or Native American, whether you are Caucasian or Asian-American, you are part of the great dream Martin Luther King, Jr. had for America. This is not a black holiday; it is a peoples’ holiday. And it is the young people of all races and religions who hold the keys to the fulfillment of his dream.   We commemorate on this holiday the ecumenical leader and visionary who embraced the unity of all faiths in love and truth. And though we take patriotic pride that Dr. King was an American, on this holiday we must also commemorate the global leader who inspired nonviolent liberation movements around the world. Indeed, on this day, programs commemorating my husband’s birthday are being observed in more than 100 nations.   The King Holiday celebrates Dr. King’s global vision of the world house, a world whose people and nations had triumphed over poverty, racism, war and violence. The holiday celebrates his vision of ecumenical solidarity, his insistence that all faiths had something meaningful to contribute to building the beloved community.   The Holiday commemorates America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence — the man who taught by his example that nonviolent action is the most powerful, revolutionary force for social change available to oppressed people in their struggles for liberation.   This holiday honors the courage of a man who endured harassment, threats and beatings, and even bombings. We commemorate the man who went to jail 29 times to achieve freedom for others, and who knew he would pay the ultimate price for his leadership, but kept on marching and protesting and organizing anyway.   Every King Holiday has been a national “teach-in” on the values of nonviolence, including unconditional love, tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation, which are so desperately-needed to unify America. It is a day of intensive education and training in Martin’s philosophy and methods of nonviolent social change and conflict-reconciliation. The Holiday provides a unique opportunity to teach young people to fight evil, not people, to get in the habit of asking themselves, “what is the most loving way I can resolve this conflict?”   On the King Holiday, young people learn about the power of unconditional love even for one’s adversaries as a way to fight injustice and defuse violent disputes. It is a time to show them the power of forgiveness in the healing process at the interpersonal as well as international levels.   Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is not only for celebration and remembrance, education and tribute, but above all a day of service. All across America on the Holiday, his followers perform service in hospitals and shelters and prisons and wherever people need some help. It is a day of volunteering to feed the hungry, rehabilitate housing, tutoring those who can’t read, mentoring at-risk youngsters, consoling the broken-hearted and a thousand other projects for building the beloved community of his dream.   Dr. King once said that we all have to decide whether we “will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. Life’s most persistent and nagging question, he said, is `what are you doing for others?’” he would quote Mark 9:35, the scripture in which Jesus of Nazareth tells James and John “…whosoever will be great among you shall be your servant; and whosoever among you will be the first shall be the servant of all.”   And when Martin talked about the end of his mortal life in one of his last sermons, on February 4, 1968 in the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church, even then he lifted up the value of service as the hallmark of a full life. “I’d like somebody to mention on that day Martin Luther King, Jr. tried to give his life serving others,” he said. “I want you to say on that day, that I did try in my life…to love and serve humanity.   We call you to commemorate this Holiday by making your personal commitment to serve humanity with the vibrant spirit of unconditional love that was his greatest strength, and which empowered all of the great victories of his leadership. And with our hearts open to this spirit of unconditional love, we can indeed achieve the Beloved Community of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream.   May we who follow Martin now pledge to serve humanity, promote his teachings and carry forward his legacy into the 21st Century. Visit the related web page
	We need to redouble efforts to address pressing humanitarian needs by International Committee of the Red Cross   19 January 2016   Speech given by Christine Beerli, vice-president of the ICRC, at the UN Security Council debate on the protection of civilians.   Thank you for inviting the ICRC to address you on the subject of the protection of civilians – a subject which your Council has put at the centre of many of its resolutions, including on Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, Iraq, the Central African Republic and the Lake Chad basin.   In 2015, ICRC operations reached more than 40 million people, including more civilians than ever before in our history. Regrettably, we see the underlying trend of increasing humanitarian needs as likely to continue over the next year.   International humanitarian law (IHL) for the protection of civilians in international and non-international armed conflict is clearly established and binding for all parties to armed conflict, State and non-State. The ICRC continues to believe that the current legal framework for the protection of civilians remains relevant and that the main challenge in protecting civilians centres on greater compliance with IHL by all parties to armed conflicts.   For the ICRC, working on the ground with the victims of armed conflict, it is obvious that political action ultimately determines the fate of civilian populations. If there are no political solutions to armed conflicts, then many millions of people will continue to endure the personal tragedy and humanitarian consequences of armed conflict, for years, decades, or even lifetimes.   This year we will mark the fifth anniversary of the Syrian crisis. Syria has in many ways become an emblematic conflict, with immense suffering of the civilian population. It is emblematic in terms of violations of the law, of a restrictive interpretation of the humanitarian space, of illegal use of weapons and of use of illegal weapons, all of which has led to dramatic displacement, in turn putting pressure on neighbouring States'' basic services and social fabric.   The link between the suffering and the lack of respect for IHL could not be clearer than when you talk to the severely malnourished people of Madaya, Foua and Kefraya, as my colleagues did over the last weeks. Women, men and children have died, and, unless full compliance with IHL is assured, many more are at risk of death. Today the overwhelming humanitarian needs necessitate that the sieges be lifted immediately.   This Council has the possibility to support and practice confidential engagement for the respect of the law, in Syria and elsewhere. On behalf of the civilians that the ICRC serves in armed conflicts around the world, I encourage you to do so.   All this suggests that much more needs to be done to resolve armed conflicts. Here, the emphasis of last year''s UN High Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations on "the primacy of politics" and the need for political solutions to be in the driving seat of UN efforts is important, and timely.   The ICRC welcomes the Panel''s recognition that "the protection of civilians is a core obligation of the United Nations". We also recognize that the single greatest contribution to ending the suffering of civilians in armed conflict is always the effective prevention and resolution of armed conflict.   With this in mind, the ICRC urges the Council to find consensus, wherever it can, to build the necessary political strategies that will prevent and end armed conflicts.   Where there is no end to an armed conflict and when IHL applies, then compliance with international humanitarian law is critical to ensure the protection of civilians.   The conduct of hostilities - the way armed conflicts are fought - is the key determinant of civilian suffering. The misuse of weapons, direct attacks against civilians and the civilian populations as well as indiscriminate attacks, starvation and displacement that become part of a military strategy and attacks against health care facilities all too often combine to create civilian suffering that involves serious violations of IHL.   In the ICRC''s experience, much widespread harm and suffering caused by armed conflict is wrongly seen as an inevitable consequence of war when in fact it is frequently a violation of law. Far too much civilian suffering in this last year has resulted from a failure of the parties to a conflict to take into account the protection of civilians in the conduct of military operations and to strike the appropriate balance between military necessity and humanitarian imperatives, as required by IHL.   Yet violations of IHL occur daily: explosive weapons are used indiscriminately in populated areas. Civilian populations and civilian objects are deliberately targeted. Civilian communities are forcibly displaced and trapped in lengthy sieges, deprived of means of survival. Women and men, girls and boys are regularly the victims of rape and sexual violence.   Schools are attacked or used for military purposes, leading to their loss of protection against attack. Detainees are summarily executed, tortured and kept in inhumane conditions and denied due process of law.   Such violations of IHL are well known to you all and often referred to explicitly in the Council''s resolutions with an evident determination to end them.   The use of explosive weapons in populated areas is one example that raises serious concern in terms of compliance.   Especially in urban environments these weapons are prone to indiscriminate effects, with often devastating consequences for civilians. Many civilians are killed or injured by such weapons. Critical infrastructure – on which civilians depend for their livelihoods and survival - like power stations, water treatment plants and hospitals can be continuously and cumulatively damaged so that they cease to provide essential services to meet people''s basic needs.   Precisely for those reasons, the ICRC has urged that the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area should be avoided in densely populated areas.   To address this humanitarian issue States should make known their policies on the use of such weapons and explain how their use of explosive weapons in populated areas complies with IHL.   We also ask that Habitat III, the upcoming United Nations Summit to develop a "new urban agenda", take account of the risks faced by many millions of people threatened by armed conflict and other situations of violence in today''s densely populated and fast growing cities.   The second main aspect of compliance that the ICRC would like to emphasize is the need for States and non-State armed groups to comply with their obligation to meet the basic needs of the population under their control and, if unable to do so, to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of relief for civilians in need, subject to their right of control.   If these basic needs are not met, parties to armed conflict shall positively respond to offers of services made by impartial humanitarian organization such as the ICRC and shall authorize their humanitarian activities, which include protection and assistance. Humanitarian activities are all those aimed at preserving life and security or seeking to restore the mental and physical well-being of victims of armed conflict. In this process, a concern to protect the dignity of a person is fundamental.   Questions of humanitarian access necessary to carry out protection and assistance activities, is an aspect of IHL on which the Council has continued to exercise significant concern in 2015. These questions will be particularly relevant in 2016 as States prepare to make new commitments on humanitarian action at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May.   At the Summit, the ICRC very much wants to see a significant and practical recommitment by States to their obligations to protect and assist the civilian population in armed conflicts. Clear recognition of the complementary albeit essential and lawful role that impartial humanitarian organizations – local and international - can play in meeting this humanitarian objective also needs to emerge from the Summit.   Practical recommitments to IHL''s rules on access, protection and assistance will be particularly important in 2016 because of the unprecedented number of internally displaced people, refugees and vulnerable migrants that are fleeing and moving because of the humanitarian consequences of armed conflict.   The ICRC welcomes the UN''s Summit on Large-Scale Movements of Migrants and Refugees due to take place in September this year, and we are committed to play a significant role in its process and debate. At the same time, we ask that a strong focus of the Council''s attention remain on the millions of IDPs affected by armed conflict, many of whom die as a result of armed conflict.   The need to respect and ensure compliance with IHL is urgent. States and non-State armed groups must comply with these laws, and close the existing implementation gap.   The mere existence of obligations and prohibitions is not sufficient to prevent and put a stop to suffering, or to deter future violations. IHL rules must be known, understood and implemented by the parties to an armed conflict if its purposes are to be fulfilled. This is a multifaceted process which requires that appropriate action be taken by actors at the national, regional, and international levels.   Mr President, Thank you for giving the ICRC the opportunity to speak in this important debate. I hope you have heard us encourage the Council''s efforts to protect civilians, and urge all States to find whatever consensus is possible to prevent and resolve armed conflicts as the single best way to protect civilians.   Meanwhile, and as armed conflicts go on, respecting the law is the single most impactful choice States and non-State groups can make to avoid civilian suffering.   Dec. 2015   The 32nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent has closed with a call for greater collaboration between States, humanitarian organizations and other stakeholders to address escalating humanitarian needs.   The conference, which takes place every four years, brought together representatives from 169 Governments, 185 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and more than 100 observers in an effort to find a common vision for future humanitarian action.   "This meeting is a milestone for us in setting a joint course ahead. We must now focus on putting into action the decisions made here," said Fatima Gailani, President of the Afghan Red Crescent Society and Chair of the Conference.   "If the next four years are anything like the last, the measures decided here will need to stand up to challenges that we can''t even comprehend yet. Who, four years ago, could have predicted that the Syrian conflict would have become so entrenched, foreseen the huge influx of migrants into Europe, or the Ebola outbreak" said Gailani.   Elhadj As Sy, the Secretary General of the IFRC said: "This conference has adopted a series of resolutions that will directly benefit vulnerable communities, and the people serving them. The resolution on the safety and security of volunteers, for example, calls on States to ensure that humanitarian volunteers are protected, including by providing insurance and other safety nets."   The Conference also emphasized the importance of proactively addressing increasing risks and vulnerabilities. "We need to do more to accompany communities as they deal with the challenges they face, before they become disasters by supporting them to become more resilient. Our One Billion Coalition for Resilience captures this ambition on the kind of scale that is needed to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable."   "As a cohesive Movement, we can marshal a response that is both local and global engaging with States, communities and individuals. This is what people on the front lines in Yemen and Afghanistan, or migrants and refugees battling the winter cold in Lebanon or in Serbia need today," said International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Director General Yves Daccord. "We''re not here to talk but to act."   Mr Daccord added, "Together with States, we''ve resolved to do more to fight and prevent the humanitarian scourges of attacks on health care personnel and facilities, and sexual and gender-based violence in crises. From South Sudan to Syria, ensuring access to health care in war zones is a top priority. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake."   Other resolutions including measures to strengthen compliance with international humanitarian law and protection for people detained in connection with non-international armed conflicts.   On the final day of the 32nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, all participants agreed on the need to redouble efforts to address the most pressing humanitarian issues of today and to ensure that those in need may continue to receive assistance.   http://www.ifrc.org/ http://intercrossblog.icrc.org/blog/video-interview-with-icrc-director-of-operations Visit the related web page
	View more stories