One hundred and fifty years after its creation in 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has increasingly to balance tradition with innovation in order to fulfil its mandate and reaffirm its founding ideals – namely to uphold human dignity even in the middle of armed conflict, through principled humanitarian action based on international humanitarian law. The challenges of the past year have at times been so complex and so daunting that it is all the more crucial for us to find innovative ways and means to overcome them.

The catastrophic impact of the armed conflict in Syria remains one of the ICRC's top priorities. After recently visiting Syria for a second time, and meeting displaced families, it is still hard to find words that adequately convey the scale and depth of the suffering. Nearly every person has been directly or indirectly affected by the spiralling violence, and every family has a tragic story to tell.

While the search for a political solution to the conflict continues, it is the role of humanitarian organizations like the ICRC to help alleviate the consequences of the fighting rather than to question its causes, yet this role is becoming increasingly difficult to fulfil in Syria as it is in other complex crises.

There are various reasons for this. The overt politicization of aid is just one. The widening gap between humanitarian needs and the ability to deliver an effective response is another, as is the decreasing proximity of many humanitarian actors to the people they claim to help. A complex web of armed groups that in many cases do not respect or accept impartial humanitarian action presents another challenge, as do security risks that have so far resulted in the death of 34 volunteers of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, our main partner in the country.

All of these challenges are subsumed in the single most pressing issue for the ICRC in Syria: to gain greater humanitarian access to people directly affected by the conflict. Although real progress has been made in some areas, much more needs to be done.

At the same time, events in other parts of the world in the past year further tested the ICRC's readiness and ability to respond to complex humanitarian needs in increasingly diverse and unexpected situations. In the Philippines, for example, the sheer extent of destruction wrought by Typhoon Haiyan in November – coming on top of earlier disasters and long-term armed clashes in some of the affected areas – resulted in a multitude of humanitarian needs on an overwhelming scale. 

Elsewhere, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan were among the ICRC's biggest operations in 2013 – all of them protracted armed conflicts that in most cases have been priorities for many years.

Looking forward, for the ICRC to be able to respond to such diverse, complex situations in a relevant, effective way it is essential that we connect better with a broader network of stakeholders, from national societies to states. In this respect, the importance of our relationship with China cannot be overestimated.

Last year, in two separate visits in Beijing, I understood that China was becoming a major international actor in the humanitarian field – not only in Asia but globally – ready to shape as much as to adapt to a changing world.

For the ICRC, it is invaluable not only to gain a greater understanding of China's perspectives and views on humanitarian action, but also to gain acceptance and support on legal, operational and other levels. Further strengthening our partnership with the Red Cross Society of China is also a key priority.

On a personal level, China is the only country that I visited twice in my first full year in office. My meetings with President Xi Jinping reflected an openness and sincere willingness to work together on issues of common interest. I look forward to further opportunities to cement this common ground and to develop our cooperation for the benefit of those who need our help the most: those suffering in the middle of armed conflict or other situations of violence, no matter where in the world they are.

The author is the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn