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Red
Cross Red Crescent volunteers essential to protecting human dignity
5 December 2003 Greater support is needed for humanitarian volunteers who work tirelessly to protect human dignity, the president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro, said today during a special ceremony to mark International Volunteers Day. The ceremony took place at the 28th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, currently being held in Geneva and which has as its theme, “Protecting Human Dignity”. In his tribute to the estimated 97 million members and volunteers who implement Red Cross and Red Crescent programmes around the world, the president underlined their essential role in carrying out the organization’s humanitarian mission, which is to assist the most vulnerable people, at times at their own peril. Volunteers, who both come from and work within communities, know the people they assist, their culture and their language and are extremely effective in contributing to the eradication of poverty, hunger, disease and intolerance. They are at the core of Red Cross Red Crescent programmes to provide life-saving first aid services, to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, and to implement disaster management programmes to mitigate the effect of natural disasters and disease on populations. “Because volunteers are our life-blood, we must support them better and integrate them more into our decision-making processes,” noted Suárez del Toro. He called on the representatives of States attending the conference to continue working to create a more conducive environment for volunteerism, as a follow-up to the UN’s General Assembly Resolution 56/38. The resolution was adopted as an outcome of the International Year of Volunteers that ended on December 5, 2001, and which outlined a number of ways governments could support volunteering. “We need to ensure that legislation promotes and safeguards volunteers,” he said, adding: “we especially need to ensure that volunteers engaged in humanitarian activities are afforded the respect, dignity and protection they deserve. They are a vital element in civil society.” For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact: Jemini Pandya, International Federation, Geneva, tel. ++41 79 217 33 74 Ian Piper, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 22 730 20 63, ++41 79 217 32 16, or ++41 79 203 43 38 Antonella Notari, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++41 22 730 22 82, or ++41 79 217 32 80 The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. © International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies |
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