Swiss and Swiss Red Cross Pledge: Taking Humanitarian Principles to action – innovations in humanitarian education

For the years 2015-2019, we hereby pledge:

To foster awareness of and support to the Humanitarian Principles among international youth through opportunities for exchanges between Swiss students and scholars based in different countries.

Humanitarian Education enables individuals to interpret situations from a humanitarian perspective and empowers them to address challenges and take action in the spirit of the Humanitarian Principles and humanitarian values of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross share a common commitment to promote Humanitarian Education and the Movement Education Initiative (HELP community), as outlined in the IFRC “Humanitarian Education” pledge.

In this respect, Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross believe that promoting a more global understanding around Humanitarian Principles among young people worldwide helps to foster greater acceptance and support to principled humanitarian action. Therefore, Switzerland in collaboration with the Swiss Red Cross, launched in 2015 this year a school project that intends to foster awareness around the Humanitarian Principles among Swiss youth. The project is based on exploring the Humanitarian Principles from different perspectives, beyond the cultural and religious diversities that often co-exist in one single class room to foster a common understanding. In 2016, the Swiss Red Cross will introduce another school project aimed at discovering the history and the humanitarian work of the Swiss Red Cross nationally and internationally. The project will be launched at the occasion of the 150 anniversary of the Swiss Red Cross.

With this pledge, Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross highlight the importance of promoting humanitarian principles in schools as well as its potential to foster a greater understanding around humanitarian action in general, including for future generations of policy and decision makers.

Action plan

Proposed evaluation criteria

• National: Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross will work together to promote the inclusion of humanitarian principles as well as humanitarian themes within the Swiss school curriculum through the development, promotion and implementation of new educational projects.

• International: Building on their partnership to promote Humanitarian Education, Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross will encourage States and National Societies to:
  • Adapt and implement the humanitarian principle school project in their own national education system/curriculum, including non-formal education;
  • Commit in setting up a partnership (State and their National Society) to foster humanitarian education within their own country with the aim to promote the Humanitarian Principles among their youth;

In order to help States and National Societies who share an interest in adopting and adapting this project for their own context, Switzerland is willing to consider a partnership with such countries and their National Societies, This partnership could include an engagement in helping States and National Societies to adapt and implement the project while using different means: translation and cultural adaptation, establish partnerships between teachers and students, train the trainers, disposal of the education material and online platforms, etc.