Regional response to pandemics, disasters and climate change: What can we learn from the Pacific?
The Pacific region has weathered many storms and bears the brunt of the harsh reality of climate change. Despite this, Pacific people remain resilient and face new and emerging challenges with a sense of solidarity and ingenuity.
So, when COVID-19 started knocking on the region’s door, the Pacific community knew they had to mobilise quickly and collectively to minimise and contain the threat caused by the virus. Like in other parts of the world, borders were closed, commercial travel all but ceased, and tourism dried up. As a collection of small island states dotted across a vast ocean, many highly dependent on imported food and with weak local health systems, the region was acutely aware that simply shutting its borders to the outside world was not going to be an option.
In mid-April, Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers agreed to establish the “Pacific Humanitarian Pathway on COVID-19 “(PHP-C)’. The pathway is a high-level, political mechanism to ensure regional coordination and will be available to member countries on request. It will expedite assistance and cooperation between Pacific countries in preparing for and responding to COVID-19. This includes facilitating the provision of timely and safe medical and humanitarian assistance from regional and international development partners, across the region. It may also be used for response to other emergencies that may arise during COVID-19.
Although this arrangement was urgently developed due to COVID-19, initiatives in support of a Pacific mechanism for regional disaster and humanitarian response is not new. In fact, National Red Cross Societies and the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have been advocating for a formalised regional approach and supporting efforts towards this goal for the past five years.
Through its recognised disaster law expertise, Red Cross has supported governments in the revision of disaster laws and policies in over half of all Pacific countries. This has included strengthening provisions for the coordination and facilitation of international humanitarian assistance in accordance with the international disaster response law (IDRL) guidelines. Earlier this year, the Pacific IDRL Online Platform was established, providing easily accessible information on the domestic rules and provisions for fast tracking international humanitarian aid across the 16 English-speaking Pacific Island countries. In addition, Red Cross also supported the development of draft Pacific guidelines for the coordination of regional and international assistance in 2015.
These efforts have not gone unnoticed by Pacific governments and regional partners and can inform the governance arrangements in the roll-out of the Pacific humanitarian pathway.
More importantly, Pacific Red Cross Societies are working around the clock in partnership with their governments to prevent transmission of the virus, help communities already affected by the outbreak to maintain access to basic social services, and reduce the economic, social and psychological impact on people.
As witnessed recently when Cyclone Harold tore a destructive and deadly path through the region impacting multiple Pacific countries, climate-induced hazards will not wait for the pandemic to pass. Dame Meg Taylor, Head of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, has recognised the interconnectivity between the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change and made a rallying call to the global community to not become complacent about climate change as their attention shifts to the pandemic response. She points out that: “the COVID-19 public health emergency and its ensuing humanitarian and economic fallout offers us a glimpse of what the global climate change emergency can become - if it’s left unchecked and if we do not act now.”
No country can tackle these complex issues alone. Regional and global solidarity is a must. However, solidarity alone is not enough – it needs to be backed by political will, strong leadership and clear rules of the road. The Pacific Humanitarian Pathway is a great example of this and provides an innovative regional model for countries to provide humanitarian support to each other in these unprecedented times. Red Cross is proud to play its part in such efforts and ensure that communities across the Pacific continue to remain resilient in the face of crisis.
Empress Shôken Fund announces grants for 2020
The Fund
The Empress Shôken Fund is named after Her Majesty the Empress of Japan, who proposed – at the 9th International Conference of the Red Cross – the creation of an international fund to promote relief work in peacetime. It is administered by the Joint Commission of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which maintains close contact with the Japanese Permanent Mission in Geneva, the Japanese Red Cross Society and the Meiji Jingu Research Institute in Japan.
The Fund has a total value of over 16 million Swiss francs and supports projects run by National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to benefit their communities in various ways. The first grant was awarded in 1921, to help five European National Societies fight the spread of tuberculosis. The Fund has assisted more than 160 National Societies thus far.
The imperial family, the Japanese government, the Japanese Red Cross and the Japanese people revere the memory of Her Majesty Empress Shôken, and their enduring regard for the Fund is shown by the regularity of their contributions to it.
The grants are usually announced every year on 11 April, the anniversary of her death. This year the announcement is being published earlier owing to the Easter holidays.
The selection process
The Empress Shôken Fund received 36 applications in 2020, covering a diverse range of humanitarian projects run by National Societies in every region of the world. This year the Joint Commission agreed to allocate a total of 400,160 Swiss francs to 14 projects in Argentina, Bulgaria, Greece, Iraq, Lithuania, Montenegro, Namibia, Palestine, Panama, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda.
The projects to be supported in 2020 cover a number of themes, including first aid, youth engagement and disaster preparedness. Moreover, nearly all of the selected projects seek to strengthen the volunteer base of National Societies, with a view to building on the unique role played by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in communities everywhere. The Fund encourages new and innovative approaches that are geared towards learning, so that the broader Movement can benefit from project findings.
The 2020 grants
TheArgentine Red Crosshas launched a generational change in its leadership by promoting volunteers’ access to decision-making bodies. It will use the grant to design and build virtual courses, creating new spaces for dialogue and debate.
For years, the Bulgarian Red Cross has been a major partner of the State in the field of first aid, helping it to respond effectively in a crisis. The National Society will use the grant to reinforce its leadership position by introducing an online first-aid training platform that will facilitate theoretical learning and increase the number of trained first-aiders.
The Hellenic Red Cross seeks to empower local communities in vulnerable or isolated areas. The grant will go towards establishing branch and community disaster teams that will build communities’ resilience through activities and training around disaster risk reduction.
In Iraq, late detection of breast cancer is common and makes the disease much deadlier. To save women’s lives, theIraqi Red Crescent Societywill use the grant to train female volunteers who will raise awareness of early detection methods for breast cancer.
The Lithuanian Red Cross will put the grant towards an innovative digital platform for evaluating the impact of its first-aid courses, issuing and tracking certifications, and connecting with first-aiders after they complete their training.
Young people account for more than 80% of the volunteers of the Red Cross of Montenegro. The National Society will use the grant to improve its activities and services with the aim of strengthening youth participation and raising awareness of volunteer opportunities.
As Namibia’s population grows, first-aid skills and services are more in demand than ever before. The grant will enable the Namibia Red Cross to run intensive first-aid training and certification courses in ten schools.
To better serve the communities it works with, thePalestine Red Crescent Society seeks to build its staff members’ and volunteers’ capacities. It will use the grant to establish a computer lab as a continuing-education unit for all of its staff and volunteers.
In Panama, gang violence has shot up in recent years, and pollution continues to grow owing to a lack of public awareness. The Red Cross Society of Panama will use the grant to develop a series of activities aimed at promoting a culture of peace and environmental responsibility.
Blood transfusion services are an essential component of Sierra Leone’s health-care system. The grant will enable the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society to increase access to safe blood products, especially for pregnant woman and infants.
In Timor-Leste, 70% of the population is under 30 years old, but accessing information about reproductive health can be difficult, particularly in rural areas. The Timor Leste Red Cross will use the grant for a public-awareness and education campaign for young people on reproductive health.
The Tonga Red Cross Society will use the grant to improve students' access to health care and physical activity by using safer vehicles for transportation.
The Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society is exploring novel approaches to teaching disaster preparedness and increasing public awareness on the subject. The grant will enable the National Society to use virtual-reality technology to teach the public about the reality and impact of disasters.
In Uganda, 70% of blood donors are students, so the country faces blood shortages outside term time. The Uganda Red Cross Society will use the grant to develop its online recruitment of adult blood donors so as to counteract any seasonal shortfalls during the holidays.
Indonesia: record rainfall leads to New Year flood disaster
Indonesia has been hit by widespread flooding after days of its most intense rainfall since records began, prompting the evacuation of more than 31,200 people from Jakarta alone
Flash flooding and landslides have reportedly killed 16 people, injured 100 others, and damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and buildings across several provinces, including North Sumatra, West Java, Bengkulu and Jakarta.
The Indonesian Red Cross – Palang Merah Indonesia, or PMI – has deployed 456 volunteers to support the affected people and meet the rising humanitarian needs.
On 31 December, Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency measured 377 mm of rainfall at an airport in East Jakarta – the highest since records began in 1966. Rainfall above 150mm per day is considered extreme by the agency.
In coordination with the authorities, Red Cross staff and volunteers have been helping with evacuation, search and rescue, assessment, setting up field kitchens and delivering emergency supplies. Aid delivered by 2 January has included seven rubber boats, 400 hygiene kits, 200 tarpaulins, and 500 sarongs. Staff and volunteers are using two-way communication (for example using the hashtag #TanyaPMI or Ask PMI) to spread life-saving messages on evacuation and avoiding hypothermia.
Humanitarian challenges in the spotlight as International Conference gets underway
As the 33rd International Conference in Geneva gets underway, IFRC President Francesco Rocca and ICRC President Peter Maurer discuss humanitarian challenges and some of the big issues on the agenda this week.
What are your hopes for the International Conference?
Francesco Rocca: The International Conference is a unique place where all the components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement can discuss with Governments under the safe space of our Fundamental Principles. I hope that we will use this opportunity to discuss about the most pressing humanitarian challenges, like the climate crisis, migration, the criminalization of humanitarian aid, the respect of humanitarian workers, to name but a few.
We need a strong Red Cross Red Crescent voice to advocate on behalf of the communities we serve. I hope that we will have fruitful and bold discussions, without shying away from topics that can be also divisive at an international level. I feel a deep responsibility to represent our 192 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and their almost 14 million volunteers; I will strongly advocate for the localization agenda which is the humanitarian trend we created a few years ago at the World Humanitarian Summit.
Our National Societies are local actors par excellence. We need to strengthen them and involve them in every decisional process. This is the strength of our Movement, the original idea of our founder, Henry Dunant: strong National Societies, strong local actors, mean strong local communities.
Peter Maurer: The unique promise of the conference is that in times of disaster, violence and conflict, in contexts of underdevelopment and other global challenges, when despair and devastation are greatest, lives can be saved and suffering alleviated through the special relationship of signatories to the Geneva Conventions and the components of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
This special relationship recognizes that neither States nor civil societies can deal with these issues on their own, but rather need each other. We now have an opportunity to reinvigorate the special relationship we have with States, reinforcing our principles of NIIHA.
In practical terms this means making progress on the key themes and resolutions of the conference: on upholding respect for IHL, responding to key areas of vulnerabilities – mental health and psychosocial support, Restoring Family Links, climate crisis, digital transformation, migration, displacement and urban challenges – as well as trust in humanitarian action.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the Movement right now?
Francesco Rocca: Our main challenge is to stay relevant, ready to anticipate and detect new vulnerabilities and be ready to adapt accordingly. We are facing many complex emergencies all around the world: the climate crisis, the humanitarian crisis linked to migration and pandemics, as well as the many protracted crises where the sustainability of humanitarian activities is deeply under pressure.
We must work as a collective, as a Movement, enhancing our complementarity and putting our National Societies at the core of every discussion and decision. The world outside, the people we serve, donors, the general public, media, all of them only see one Red Cross or Red Crescent.
We must act accordingly; we need to sit together, put aside individual interests, and have an honest and trustful dialogue about roles and responsibilities. If we do not adapt, change will be forced upon us. The world is changing rapidly, and we must adapt accordingly.
Peter Maurer: The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an incredibly powerful force in the world. In our diversity there is strength, from the countries we come from, the languages we speak, and the experiences we have individually and collectively.
But the realities of the crises that the world faces today – humanitarians and States alike – are enormous and complex. We see the nature of crises changing and a widening gap between the shape and scale of people’s needs and our capacity to respond.
In the absence of political solutions, wars are protracted, some lasting decades. Urban battles feature prominently, causing widespread destruction and indiscriminate harm to civilians and their cities. As wars destroy whole systems, as people are displaced for years at a time, new crisis needs are created. Beyond the basics of food and shelter, families also need electricity, water, health systems. What we think of as ‘emergency needs’ is shifting. And so must our response.
We must also respond to the invisible needs – the mental health and psychosocial needs of people. Entire communities and individuals are suffering in silence, overwhelmed by stigma and a lack of appropriate support. This hidden suffering demands our attention as much as physical needs.
And finally we must support our own people. Our Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers and staff answer the call of crises. They step up, despite the personal tragedies within their own communities, despite the personal risk. I recognize their dedication, their sacrifice – and we must make sure we are all there for each other, because we are one family.
Trust is a big theme of the conference. How can we better build trust in humanitarian action?
Francesco Rocca: Trust is crucial, and it is a very important signal that we have it as one of the main themes of our International Conference but also as a red thread for our Statutory Meetings. I believe that our greatest strength is that our volunteers are coming from the same local communities they are supporting. They understand the culture, they speak the same language, they are there before, during and after any crisis or disaster.
Our Movement is unique: we build and maintain trust from communities through our volunteers. The meaning of trust is when an ambulance or a team has access during an outbreak of violence and entire crowds applaud their bravery; we saw it many times over past months in many different places. Obviously, we still need to do it better, but I am sure we are best positioned to maintain trust from the people we serve, as well as from donors and partners. We must engage communities and put them at the centre of everything we do. We are deeply committed to doing this.
Peter Maurer: There is enormous trust in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Trust is the backbone of successful action and is sorely needed in today’s fragmented and divided societies. I firmly believe that the Movement can be a more powerful incubator of trust in societies at large, through the values we embody, the vision we represent and the pragmatism with which we act.
For trust is our license to win the confidence of communities, arms bearers and others to deliver humanitarian aid that is neutral and impartial. We are defined by the trust of populations, by the millions who say: “When I suffered, you were there.”
Red Cross Red Crescent Academy established in China
The International Academy of the Red Cross and Red Crescent was established in Suzhou on 31 August 2019, co-founded by the Red Cross Society of China and Soochow University.
Francesco Rocca, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Dr CHEN Zhu, President of the Red Cross Society of China, Vice-President of the IFRC and guests from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the International Development Cooperation Agency and other relevant ministries and commissions, leaders of Jiangsu Province and Suzhou City, Leaders of Soochow University and the Red Cross Society of China, the executive leadership team and people from all walks of life attended the inauguration ceremony.
Chen delivered a keynote speech entitled "Building and sharing humane education to deliver wisdom and strength.” He pointed out that the establishment of the academy was a major event in the history of the Red Cross, not only for the Red Cross Society of China. The establishment of the academy would bring new impetus into the Red Cross and a platform, wisdom and solutions for the development of global humanitarian undertakings.
“We have witnessed the establishment of the International Academy of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which is an invitation to the world to jointly build a community and create a better future for humanity,” Chen said. “We hope that all the people who care about the cause of human progress will join hands with us to embark on this great journey.”
Francesco Rocca also delivered a speech at the inauguration ceremony applauding the academy’s establishment and accepting an invitation from the Red Cross Society of China to be the honorary president of the academy. He said the academy would contribute to meeting current and increasingly complex humanitarian demands and was a contribution of the Red Cross Society of China to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. He said the academy would become a training center for professional humanitarian workers, a research center for humanitarian theory and an international platform for humanitarian communication and cooperation.
There had been no comprehensive Red Cross Red Crescent university or academy) anywhere in the world before, and the establishment of the International Academy of the Red Cross and Red Crescent fills this gap. After years of demonstration and preparation, the Red Cross Society of China, Soochow University, and the Chinese Red Cross Foundation officially signed a cooperative start-up agreement in Beijing on 30 June 2019.
The agreement involves setting up six research centres, including the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement research center, an International Humanitarian Law centre, the Belt and Road international exchange and cooperation centre, Nightingale nursing centre, humanitarian resource mobilization and values dissemination centre, and an emergency management and disaster preparedness centre to develop and design different types of humanitarian education training and teaching courses, conduct short-term training, medium-term training and advanced training courses, and recruit master's and doctoral students in related fields.
Iraqi Red Crescent paramedic: 18 hours of work is not enough
Imad Sabah’s life changed more than 15 years ago, when he met an Iraqi Red Crescent Society’s volunteer collecting donations for displaced people in Anbar. When Imad heard how people had to leave all their belongings behind and seek safety away from home, and how the Red Crescent was supporting them, he was touched and decided to join the RC himself.
Since that date, as a RC volunteer and an active member of the emergency response team, Imad has been an important part of the ongoing humanitarian work of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society during many difficult situations Iraq has witnessed over the years.
After joining the Red Crescent, Imad Sabah has been trained on various humanitarian skills such as first aid, psychological support, disaster management and response. Imad, who always carries his first aid bag with him, has saved the lives of hundreds of people.
Lately, since the demonstrations started in Baghdad, he has been leading the emergency first aid team rescuing the wounded either on site in Tahrir Square or transporting them to nearby hospitals.
Working for more than 18 hours a day, Imad and his team refuse to leave the site of the demonstrations even during their breaks.
“I don’t feel tired, even though this work is very stressful. My team and I work in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, where we provide first aid for the injured. For more critical cases, we transport the injured to hospital and help the medical staff to manage the influx of people”, Imad explains.
The best reward Imad and his team get is from the people they help.
“We feel their love and appreciation. As soon as they see our logo, they allow us to help them, they give us access and they trust us. This is the best kind of a reward: access to those who need us.”
On a personal level, Imad has recently married another Iraqi Red Crescent volunteer - with whom he promised to spend the remaining 6 hours, after 18 hours a day saving lives.
Urgent action needed for countries in Southern Africa threatened by drought
All countries in the Southern Africa are currently experiencing pockets of dryness. Worryingly for the sub-region, Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have declared state of emergencies due to looming drought. The United Nations Climate Action Summit scheduled for 23 September 2019 in New York, United States of America, presents a timely opportunity for urgent global discussions that will hopefully culminate inconcrete, realistic plans to address thedisproportionate impacts of climate change on developing countries.
Southern Africa is one of the regions most affected by serious impacts of climate-induced natural disasters. This year alone, a succession ofcyclonesandfloodshas already resulted in significant loss of life and assets in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and kept humanitarian organisations busy with emergency responses, as well as recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth were different in that they managed to attract global attention because they caused significant devastation during a short period. Climate change-induced natural disasters in Southern Africa are often invisible in the global media, even though they are protracted and threaten the livelihoods of millions. Even lower-level cyclones can cause devastating floods that are quickly followed by debilitating droughts.
Many national economies in Southern Africa are agriculturally based and as long as climate change mitigation strategies enshrined in existing globalpoliciesare not wholeheartedly implemented, a significant portion of the 340 million inhabitants of Southern Africa could be food-insecure in the long-term because of famine.
The increased mass movement of people from areas affected by climate-induced natural disasters is also more likely. Internal and external migration will necessitate greater coordination among humanitarian organisations to adequately support receiving communities and countries to respond to the added burden introduced by new arrivals.
The effects of food insecurity and mass movements are felt most by the vulnerable in our communities, such as the chronically ill and disabled, and women and children. They also place immense pressure on already strained health systems in many countries in the sub-region. With the necessary funds, the Red Cross Movement has the capability and is well placed to address some of the consequences. But urgent action is still needed on the climate change question.
Climate change is certain and evident. Its effects are being felt more in less developed nations, especially in southern Africa. Efforts for adaptation are essential not only to decrease the negative consequences but also to increase opportunities for communities to be more resilient in the long-term.
Countries in the sub-region are acting to decrease their response times to calamities and improve their communities’ readiness to mitigate impacts of natural disasters. Mozambique is the first country in Africa to have an Early Action Protocol approved; the protocol harnesses the power offorecast-based financingto ensure that humanitarian responses are more responsive and proactive. Malawi’s protocol is under review and Zambia’s is currently in development.
The need for humanitarian assistance in Southern Africa in the latter part of 2019 and into 2020 will be greater with the imminent drought. Notwithstanding ongoing local efforts to improve countries’ and communities’ disaster risk management practices and increase their resilience, global stakeholders have a responsibility to definitively act to reduce the need for climate change-induced disaster mitigation efforts in the most affected developing countries.
Originally published in the Southern Times Newspaper
Latvian Red Cross raises awareness on migration issues with regional training
By Agnese Trofimova, Latvian Red Cross
Latvian Red Cross, in cooperation with the UN Refugee Agency`s Regional Representation for Northern Europe (UNHCR), has organized 5 regional trainings with the title “Work for the integration of refugees and immigrants: intercultural interaction, good practice and experience.”
The training aims to build capacity and expertise of more than one hundred service providers, public authorities and representatives of local communities. Organized in five different regions across Latvia – Rezekne, Puikule, Bauska, Saldus and Riga between 23 – 27 September, the trainings are part of the international Red Cross project “AVAIL- Amplifying the Voices of Asylum Seekers and Refugees for Integration and Life Skills.”
The representatives from UNHCR, Marcel Colun and Karolis Zibas, presented general information about the current situation related to issues of asylum, migration and relocation, the effect of legislative changes on results of the integration of refugees and immigrants, as well as overall integration policy and processes at the regional and national level.
Tamim Nashed, an independent expert on integration and intercultural competences and former Policy Officer at the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), presented aspects ofintercultural competences. Another speaker was a Syrian refugee living in Latvia, Sulaeman Alzouabi, who works as a doctor in a hospital. Sulaemanshared his life story and the experience of being a refugee.
The audience of these trainings were employees of state and municipal institutions, including policy planners, representatives from educational institutions, social and health care workers and activists from other non-governmental organizations.
After these trainings, participants admitted that they had received a lot of new and interesting information that will be useful in their daily work and communication with foreigners. Also, they revealed that from now on they will be more critical towards information about the migration crisis, refugees and intercultural interaction presented by media.
Within the project since February 2018, the Latvian Red Cross has implemented Buddy program andeducational interactive events for refugees, asylum seekers (RAS) and host community which includes attending cultural events with an aim to learn about local habits, several types of social integration activities, etc. Moreover, discussions among local stakeholders have been expanded, informative materials were produced and shared which has raised more awareness towards RAS and their needs.
Red Cross Society of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Czech Red Cross
Internal Audit Report: Russia Cluster Office, 2018
All the evidence we need - research report
This research report was produced to support the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to put our commitments on Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) into practice.
It looks at why, despite knowing the harm that can come when local voices are not central to our work, we still sometimes make the same mistakes. And why a lack of local engagement and inclusion of community voices remains a major problem in our efforts to respond.
Internal Audit Report: Bangladesh Country Office, 2017
ESSN Intersectoral Vulnerability Study 2022
This study, completed as part of the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme, assesses the vulnerability status and severity of humanitarian conditions of the refugee population living inTürkiye.
Capacity Building Fund Report 2021-2022
This report provides an overview of projects supported by the Capacity Building Fund in 2021-2022.