Additional Protocol III (APIII) to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 was adopted on 8 December 2005 at a diplomatic conference convened in Geneva by the Swiss Federal Council, and entered into force on 14 January 2007. It establishes an additional distinctive emblem — formally the "third Protocol emblem" but commonly called the Red Crystal — composed of a red square frame standing on one of its corners, on a white background.
The protocol was negotiated to resolve a long-running problem in international humanitarian law: the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems, recognized under the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols I and II of 1977, carried religious or cultural connotations that some states and national societies found unacceptable. The most prominent case was Magen David Adom of Israel, which used the Red Star of David and had been blocked from full membership in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Eritrea and Kazakhstan also had unresolved emblem questions.
Key provisions include:
- Article 2 establishes the Red Crystal as having equal status with the Red Cross and Red Crescent for protective and indicative use.
- Article 3 permits national societies to incorporate another emblem (such as the Red Star of David) inside the Red Crystal for indicative use on their own territory, and for protective use abroad in exceptional circumstances.
- Article 6 obliges states to prevent misuse of the emblem.
APIII was adopted by vote rather than consensus — unusual for IHL instruments — reflecting opposition from several states, including Syria, which objected partly over the question of medical services in the occupied Golan Heights. Once APIII entered into force, Magen David Adom and the Palestine Red Crescent Society were admitted to the Movement at its June 2006 conference in Geneva.
The protocol is administered through the depositary functions of the Swiss government and is monitored in practice by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Example
In 2006, following the entry into force of Additional Protocol III, Magen David Adom and the Palestine Red Crescent Society were simultaneously admitted to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Frequently asked questions
A red square frame standing on one of its corners on a white background, established by Additional Protocol III in 2005 as a third protective emblem equal in status to the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
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