On 14 January 2007, the Third Additional Protocol to the 1949 Geneva Conventions enters into force, six months after the two first countries ratified it. This completes the process of establishing an additional emblem for use by Governments and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Key facts about the Protocol.

The States party to the Geneva Conventions adopted a protocol additional to the Conventions at a diplomatic conference in December 2005. The Protocol establishes a new emblem, commonly referred to as the red crystal, alongside the red cross and red crescent.

This technical manual is intended for use by commanders of naval and air force units to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of the Second Geneva Convention of 1949 and of Annex I to Protocol I additional to the Geneva Conventions (provisions relative to the marking and identification of medical transports in armed conflicts).

Identification is no longer a purely technical problem, but also (and especially) an issue that depends on the will of the parties to a conflict. This article presents protected medical transports and how present-day techniques have evolved.

Protective signs occupy an important place in various international law treaties and other legal regulations. This specialized work lists the signs used in time of armed conflict to protect persons, buildings, means of transport, cultural property, etc. It also gives precise descriptions of these signs and is a valuable working tool for all those who may need to use them.

Final Act of the Diplomatic Conference on the adoption of the Third Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem.

ICRC chief spokesperson Antonella Notari comments on the outcome of the 29th International Conference of the Red Cross & Red Crescent.

Statement by the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Dr. Jakob Kellenberger, on December 7, 2005

Opening remarks by the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Dr. Jakob Kellenberger, December 5, 2005

The red cross and red crescent emblems are visible symbols of the protection afforded to war victims under the Geneva Conventions. They also stand for the neutrality of those who use them and indicate membership in the Movement. To resolve certain problems, an additional emblem known as the red crystal, has been adopted by a diplomatic conference in December 2005 in Geneva.

Model instrument of ratification / accession

The red cross and the red crescent have been at the service of humanity for more than a century - affording protection to those affected by conflict and to those assisting them. In December 2005, an additional emblem - the red crystal - was created alongside the red cross and the red crescent. The following document explains the history of the emblems.

This article traces the ideological interpretation of the red cross emblem in Japan from its inception to the end of World War II and analyses the effect of such interpretation on the activities of the Red Cross society, the practices of the national army and the national identity. Unlike Turkey and Persia, Japan chose not to denote any religious character to the emblem. However, the symbol came to take on a national significance with ties to the Imperial Family and indigenous traditions, including those of warfare.