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28 May 2001 By Marie-Francoise Borel in Tehran Volunteers who risk their lives to assist people living in extreme vulnerability, such as that engendered by conflict in the Middle East, were singled out for praise by the President of the International Federation, Dr. Astrid Heiberg, when she spoke at the opening yesterday in Tehran of the third conference of Middle East and North African (MENA) Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies. While recognising that the Middle East conflict could only be solved by political means, she said the Movement could "speak out and cry out" on behalf of those affected. Sanctions also create vulnerability and the Movement has a responsibility to speak out on their humanitarian consequences on the most vulnerable, particularly the poor and children, said Dr. Heiberg. After thanking the Iranian Red Crescent for its warm hospitality, the Federation President concluded: "We are here to learn and to work together. The key words are co-operation, co-ordination and communication." The volunteer theme was a recurring one in the opening speeches. Dr. Hassan Habibi, Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, praised the unselfish commitment of volunteers to help others as the expression of true altruism. "What is more beautiful than assisting your fellow man ?", he asked. Dr. Ahmadali Noorbala, President of the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran, reminded participants that the conference was taking place during International Year of Volunteers. In his address during the opening ceremony, Dr. Mohamed Al-Hadid, Vice-Chairman of the Movement's Standing Commission, referred to the Movement's continuing commitment to the future adoption of the draft Third Additional Protocol by States party to the Geneva Conventions The adoption of the Protocol would result in the recognition of an additional emblem and would allow the recognition of National Societies who do not use the currently recognized emblems of either the red cross or the red crescent. Dr Al-Hadid said the Commission relied on National Societies to continue talks with their respective governments to promote the adoption of the draft Protocol. Werner Kaspar, head of the ICRC's Middle East Department reviewed the recent work of the ICRC, He highlighted the ICRC's work as a neutral intermediary in solving the cases of more than 17,000 Iranian and Iraki prisoners of war, most of whom were rapatriated. He pointed out the reason the organisation was able to achieve this was because it enjoyed the confidence of states concerned. He also mentioned the assistance given by the ICRC to the civilian population in southern Lebanon. Underlining the mandate given to the ICRC by the international community as a guardian of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) , Mr Kaspar noted its work with more than 1481 Moroccans held by the Polisario. In the territories occupied by Israel, the ICRC , said Mr Kaspar, focused on sending the appropriate assistance to those in need and on ways to improve cooperation between the Red Crescent and the Magen David Adom (MDA). The purpose of the Tehran meeting is to review progress on the plan of action decided at last year's MENA Cairo conference, which aimed to encourage the involvement of women and youth in designing and implementing programmes and to identify National Society weaknesses and build on strengths. With some 100 participants from 46 Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the third conference of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Societies has attracted the largest attendance of the three MENA gatherings to date. The working sessions which get underway today will focus on two overarching themes : Dialogue between Civilizations and Cultures and Volunteers and their impact on the lives of vulnerable people. The representatives from the 17 MENA Societies together with colleagues from Societies in the former Soviet states, Western Europe, the Americas and Asia, will address issues of community health; disaster preparedness, response and coordination; international cooperation; and gender issues The meeting also brings together representatives from the Federation Secretariat, the ICRC, the Arab Secretariat, UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations. The first two conferences were held in Tunis (1999) and Cairo (2000) and from now on, the meeting of National Societies of the Middle East and North Africa will be held every two years. Related links More information about Iran Volunteering Make a donation |
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Mostapha
Mohaghegh, Head of International Affairs Department, Red Crescent
Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran, hosted the opening
