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Nine years later, after turmoil and skirmishes among Red Cross institutions, the Thirteenth Conference of the Red Cross adopted the Statutes of the International Red Cross and brought the Standing Commission into being. This important step took place in The Hague in October 1928. It also clarified the roles and responsibilities of the ICRC, the League and the National Societies. It gave a new impetus for the maintenance of better dialogue among all partners.
However, none of the existing entities (the International Conference or the newly created Council of Delegates) were permanent. Therefore, it was felt that a new body was needed to convene international events whenever necessary and to create the conditions to settle differences between Red Cross institutions, namely the League and the ICRC.
This new element was to be the Standing Commission of the Red Cross, whose task was to provide continuity between the International Conferences. It was also expected that the Commission would be able to act as a mediator, should any serious divergence occur between members of the Red Cross Movement.
The composition of the Commission, with members from National Societies together with representatives of the Geneva institutions, reflects this willingness to foster dialogue rather than confrontations. It did however not prove able to settle differences between the so-called Geneva institutions – the ICRC and the League – particularly when it came to determining their respective roles in field operations and to set the limits of their interventions.
This question proved to be quite acute at a time when periods or war and non-war were difficult to define, thus creating confusion as to who would be responsible in the field of relief activities. Disagreement and misunderstandings remained beyond the Second Word War. They could only begin to be resolved after the introduction of comprehensive collaboration agreements between the League – later the Federation – and the ICRC.
It is important to recall that the Standing Commission, according to its original mention in the Statutes of the International Red Cross of 1928 (Art. X), was primarily conceived as a conciliatory body and not as a technical tool to make arrangements for the next International Conferences. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Commission is more of a coordinator of the main issues and events affecting the Movement as a whole than a direct instrument to settle disputes. This is also reflected in its unique role as the only permanent body bringing together representatives of the National Societies, the International Federation and the International Committee.
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