Future Of World Peace Will Rest With Young People

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 19, 7 August 1950, Page 4

Future Of World Peace Will Rest With Young People

The future peace of the world could rest on the knowledge and friendship between the young people of nations, said Mrs A. W. Winstone, secretary of the Eastern Bay of Plenty Centre of Red Cross, in an address to the Edgecumbe Sub-Centre on Thursday night. For this reason she considered the encouragement of Junior Red Cross an important movement in the world today. _ % Speaking on the aims and work of Red Cross Mrs Winstone said that few people realised the unique position in the world of the Red Cross movement, nor its great potentialities. Knowledge of the work for prisoners of war and V.A.D. nursing, was common, but few people realised that the new Geneva Convention embodying more drastic rules for the care of prisohei's of war and the care of- civilians in wartime was drafted by Red Cross. At Stockholm in 1948. The National Red Cross Societies of the world (there are 68 of them) assembled together drew up the nevtf Convention.

Civilians had never been included in such rules before. A diplomatic conference followed when representatives of 58 countries signed the Convention. Governments of 19 of these countries have notified their representatives’ signature with other Governments it is still under consideration, but there is little doubt that they will eventually sign too. Mrs Winstone stressed the value of sub-centres, on whom the whole foundation 'of International Red Cross is built. She (asked delegates to foster their Junior Red Cross members, whose aims Health, Service and International Friendship, were surely the highest that could be set before young people. In' these youngsters, help and friendship and knowledge of the children of other countries, the speaker saw the best hope for future peace in the world.