I have been involved in social and community activities for almost 30 years, starting with establishing and chairing the Yayasan Sultanah Bahiyah, a foundation based in Kedah that runs multiple programs for the community, and as the chairperson of the Kedah chapter of the Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC), a part of the national structure of this global humanitarian organisation. The encouragement came from the examples set by my late parents, Almarhum Tuanku Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah who served as the Sultan of Kedah and as the fifth and the fourteenth Yang di Pertuan Agong. Both my late father and my late mother Almarhumah Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah Tuanku Abdul Rahman, as the Sultanah of Kedah and the Raja Permaisuri Agong were committed and dedicated to working towards the betterment of society. My late parents also loved sports and were very keen golfers. They were frequently at the RSGC in the 1970s and 1980s. Their main club was the Royal Kedah Club, an affiliate club in Alor Setar, where they played their daily nine holes at 5pm. Their royal presence was an integral part of the social and sporting life there.
Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz
I was elected as the National Chairperson of the Malaysian Red Crescent in 2018, as its first ever female chair. Established in 1948, originally as a branch of the British Red Cross, the MRC is a non-profit humanitarian organization which is auxiliary to the humanitarian services of the government under the Malaysian Parliamentary Act No. 540. It is a membership-based organization and open to all, with 16 chapters/states in the country and 150 branches at the district level. Its mission is to alleviate and reduce suffering and respond during natural disasters and crises, provide supplementary health services with ambulance and community health awareness and other training as needed. The services and work are done by its volunteers and staff nationwide.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as a whole has three parts; the first is the 191 National Societies established in most countries in the world that conduct the humanitarian work in their own countries and collaborate to support other National Societies when needs arise. The MRC is one of the 191 Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies in the world. These National Societies form the second component of the Movement, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) which was established in 1919, a global humanitarian network headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. There is a secretariat in Geneva and offices set up regionally, to support local action and bring together more than 16 million volunteers worldwide through its membership. Apart from Chairing the MRC in Malaysia, I am also on the IFRC Governing Board as an elected representative from the Asia Pacific. The third component is the International Committee of the Red Cross, the ICRC, a neutral and independent humanitarian organization also established in Geneva in 1863, whose task is in ensuring protection and assistance for people affected by armed conflicts and other violence globally
One of the most important ways in which the three elements of the Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent collaborate on its humanitarian agenda is through the International Conference, held once every four years. It is the highest deliberative body and brings together the three components as mentioned, with the State parties to the Geneva Conventions and invited observers. The conference is a unique forum in which we discuss and debate and have the same influence and voice. In the Malaysian context, this means that the MRC delegates sit side by side with representatives of the Malaysian Government, as auxiliary yet on par with our government representatives. All 191 National Societies sit by side and on equal footing with their government representatives.
I was asked to be the Chairperson of the 34th International Conference which was held between on 28 – 31 October 2024 in Geneva. The historical origin of the International Conference is unique as the Red Cross back then, concerned with the outbreak of disease and malnutrition as an aftermath of the European wars of the 19th Century, invited governments to attend the First International Conference in 1869 in Paris. Given the politically polarized scenario in 2024, with conflicts, wars, the effects of climate change and funding limitations, I felt the weight of this responsibility from the very beginning and took on the challenge wholeheartedly. I was incorporated into the planning process from as early as ten months prior to the event.
I felt the pressure to manage a successful 34th International Conference as some commentators had questioned the effectiveness of this format. We find ourselves in a system where collaboration between states is segmented into powerful politicized groupings with set political agendas which are promoted at the United Nations, its agencies and at other multilateral platforms. Nevertheless, the statutes and rules of procedure of the International Conference clearly stipulate that delegates are encouraged to cooperate and support the Movement to carry out their humanitarian agenda, which are in themselves non-political, impartial and neutral in nature. All debates and decisions had to be free from racial, religious, political and ideological controversies. The rules of participation had to adhere to the seven fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. Much can be explained about each of those principles, but suffice to say that they form the basis of all decisions, strategies and operational policies, from the conduct of our work in Kedah during a flood, to the chairing of the 34th International Conference with over 2400 delegates from over 160 states and 177 National Societies.
Our mission was to ensure a conference that would meet our strategic requirements and set a direction for the next four years, provide a program that attracted positive participation and commitments from all delegates, ensure that the agenda was not sidelined by political disputes and finally to have the draft resolutions adopted by consensus, without having to go to a vote. The draft resolutions were for the universal culture of respect for IHL, protecting civilians from the use of ICT activities during armed conflict, strengthening disaster risk governance, improving local leadership in principled humanitarian action and protecting people from the impacts of extreme climate and weather events. The unprecedented number of challenges and crises around the world made the situation even more complex, the conflicts, natural disasters, the climate and environmental challenges coupled with the polarization of the geopolitical environment. The theme of the conference being Navigating Uncertainty and Strengthen Humanity was indeed appropriate.
How did we go about approaching this mission? Firstly, the International Conference had a long consultative process of over a year. The agenda and draft resolutions were open for comments and feedback for many months prior to reaching its final draft. The organizing committee and drafting committee continued to engage with States and national societies right up to the last day, listening to comments, views and areas of disagreements. Part of the process to ensure success was to have a positive approach which was thorough, complete and inclusive.
The strategy we adopted for my role as Chair and also for our team members at the commissions, spotlight and side events sessions was to prepare, prepare, and prepare. I had the privilege of working with an amazingly experienced team from the IFRC and the ICRC. The structure of the Conference also allowed for the role of diplomats and representatives of governments as its officials. The Permanent Representative of Gambia H.E Mohammadou Kah was the Vice Chairman, the Permanent Representative of Switzerland H.E Jurg Lauber served as the Secretary General of the conference, the Permanent Representative of Costa Rica H.E Christian Guillermet Fernandez chaired the drafting committee and the Permanent Representative of New Zealand, H.E Anna Louise Duncan as chair of a Commission, were amazing sources of support. They constantly provided updates of current and anticipated political issues and advised on strategies to mitigate them. They also actively engaged with diplomats in Geneva, seeking the good will and support of diplomats and their States. We also had frequent briefing sessions with our own national societies on the format and content of the events and incorporated their views. Regular meetings were held over a period of six months, both online and whenever I was able to travel to Geneva. I relied on the shrewd analysis and updates as we drew closer to the Conference. Our own Permanent Representative of Malaysia in Geneva, H.E Dato Nadzirah bt Osman and her team also actively helped to support our objectives and were very supportive to me personally. It was also very important that I had met with our Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamad Hasan in Kuala Lumpur before the conference, briefing him on the scope of my involvement during the Conference.
The planning team also created a risk matrix for the Conference based on current geopolitical conflicts and tensions, including issues such as the Israel and Gaza conflict, the Russian and Ukraine war, the crisis in Myanmar and many others. The matrix was constantly updated and we analyzed scenarios and planned ways to mitigate the risks.
During our scenario planning, I was also put in the ‘hot seat’ as we rehearsed possible interventions from the floor and tested my responses, based on the procedural options available.
It was a stressful exercise, as the efficiency and quality of my statements and responses depended on my knowledge of the rules and procedures. It was essential that I was well prepared, calm and could think quickly on my feet. All the statements were recorded and how I managed these debates also had to be technically correct so as to engender the confidence of the delegates.
I certainly felt the weight of the world on my shoulders and allocated some time every day, reading and re-reading documents on the Conference, International Humanitarian Law (IHL) reviews and analysis of instances of important moments of past conferences. I lifestyle familiarized myself with the agenda, topics being discussed and looked at historical references. The team also prepared summaries from previous conferences, such as the expulsion of the apartheid government of South Africa from the International Conference in 1986. I studied body language, on how to display concern and respect while I was presiding the debates. It was crucial for me to listen closely and react quickly. I spoke to my colleagues and legal team on syntax and exact phrasing of words, rehearsing my responses over and over again, while trying not to sound robotic and without empathy. Given the current political environment where civilians were being killed, volunteers and peacekeepers attacked, we understood that statements expressing protest and blame would be made. My priority was to chair the debates fairly and yet remain true to our humanitarian objectives.
I now firmly believe in the phrase that “success is achieved in preparation”. Throughout the four days of the 34th International Conference, there was a high level of respect for the rules of procedure of the Conference. There was an atmosphere of positive commitment and a collegial approach by the participants. In my opening speech to ‘the world’, I said that our decisions will enable impartial, neutral and independent humanitarian action to be delivered by our volunteers and staff to the most vulnerable. Governments highly critical of actions taken by Israel and Russia made their expected statements of protest, and Iran, Cuba and Syria also made statements against sanctions placed on their countries. These debates were handled fairly and with respect. If they were accusatory and attributed direct blame, I needed to intervene and remind them of the non-political nature of the Conference. If these statements were not managed well by the Chair, the governments accused would be compelled to request a right of reply and start a combative exchange of words. Some people mentioned afterwards that I had displayed “calmness, patience and nerves of steel”.
The result of all this effort and preparation was that we achieved our mission. The proposed resolutions were accepted by consensus with a few qualifying statements from governments expressing their political positions. The excellent teamwork over several months and the enormous amount of work behind the scenes meant that we had achieved our objectives. At the closing of the ceremony, I thanked everyone, the governments, national societies, observers and volunteers, from the bottom of my heart for their time, patience, and spirit of tolerance and respect. “Together we have worked hard to preserve the humanitarian character of our mission, and that is something we must cherish. Serving as Chair of this Conference has been an honour of a lifetime and I am truly humbled by this experience.” At this point I became very emotional, possibly due to exhaustion as well as the relief and gratitude I felt in achieving the best outcome possible. Despite all the challenges mentioned before, we could still cooperate and commit to decisions and strategies for the sake of humanity. This sent such an important positive message of hope for the Movement and for so many around the world.
To conclude, the 34th International Conference gave me the opportunity to contribute on the global platform. I was able to be part of a huge planning and negotiating team, comprised of academics, lawyers, ambassadors, the leadership of the IFRC and ICRC and heads of delegations. What remained central to my approach throughout the process was for the decisions that were made in that hall in Geneva be translated to help, support and build humanitarian action. We owe it to the vulnerable people needing our support and to the brave volunteers we call our members. I truly felt like a global citizen, a proud Malaysian and representative of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.
