The International Red Cross Audio-Visual Centre in Geneva was officially inaugurated on 30 September.

On 14 December 1981, the Swiss Government received an instrument dated 27 November 1981 signifying the ratification by the Kingdom of Norway of the Protocols I and II Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International and Non-International Armed Conflicts, signed on 12 December 1977.

In its Circular No. 516 of 25 August 1980, the International Committee of the Red Cross had the honour to invite the Central Committees of National Societies to send in the names of nurses and voluntary aids whom they judged qualified to receive the Florence Nightingale Medal. This invitation, which quoted Article 1 of the Regulations, was accompanied by application forms to be completed by National Societies.

In October 1981 the International Committee of the Red Cross officially recognized the Tonga Red Cross Society and the Qatar Red Crescent Society. The National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies were informed of this decision in two circulars, dated 20 and 30 October 1981 respectively.

After a period spent almost entirely in performing relief work, an activity which takes precedence over everything else during a civil war, the Lebanese Red Cross started, some three years ago, on a new phase development, based on two main activities: stirring the population awareness of the human problems peculiar to Lebanon, and secondly, teaching and training young people. At the same time, the Lebanese National Society naturally continued to carry out its medico-social activities, for the grave incidents which still take place in several parts of the country are but the natural consequences of the conflict which broke out in 1975 and which has not yet been brought to a conclusion.

The ICRC delegation in the Republic of South Africa carried out between 31 August and 18 September a series of visits to security detainees. A team of delegates, accompanied by the ICRC delegate-general for Africa, Mr. Jean-Marc Bornet, visited six places of detention holding 505 sentenced security detainees, including 473 in Robben Island and six women detained in Pretoria.

During the first six months of 1981, the main ICRC assistance operations in Africa were in Angola (Planalto region), Uganda (West Nile Province), Chad and the Horn of Africa. It distributed more than 6,000 tonnes of relief, valued at almost 14 million Swiss francs.