Elhadj As Sy

Displaying 1 - 7 of 7
|
Press release

ICRC/IFRC PRESS RELEASE: Immense mental health toll of humanitarian crises not being addressed, warns Red Cross

Geneva 04 October 2019--The massive mental health needs of people affected by humanitarian emergencies are not being addressed, warned leaders of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). People living in conflict-affected areas are three times more likely than the general population to suffer from conditions such as depression and anxiety, to post-traumatic stress disorder. From experience Red Cross says this can be similarly true for other humanitarian crises like disasters, and health emergencies. “These mental health issues, if left untreated, create hidden wounds which have far reaching and long term negative impacts for people and communities dealing with humanitarian emergencies,” said Elhadj As Sy, IFRC’s Secretary General, speaking ahead of a conference on mental health and psychosocial support in crisis situations in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. “Supporting people’s mental health and psychosocial support can be lifesaving in times of disasters, war and violence, just as much as stemming the bleeding from a deep wound or having clean water. Hidden wounds are no less dangerous to a person’s well-being and ability to thrive during crisis,” said ICRC’s Director General Yves Daccord. But in low- and middle-income countries where most humanitarian crises occur, mental health and psychosocial support services are underprioritized and underfunded with an average of two mental health workers per 100,000 people. As a result, two thirds of people with severe mental health conditions in these countries go without any treatment. This lack of treatment also increases stigma, exclusion and discrimination. The consequences of which can severely impact a person’s safety, dignity, and health and further undermine the ability of communities and states to appropriately address mental health and psychosocial challenges. “Investing in mental health and psychosocial support saves lives and must be integrated into all humanitarian responses.” said IFRC’s Elhadj As Sy. “We know that early interventions can prevent distress from developing into more severe mental health conditions which can have much more serious and long-term consequences.” Mental health and psychosocial support in post-conflict environments is highly effective: every $1 invested in treatment for depression can lead to a $5 return in better health. Community-based volunteers and trained professional workforces are critical to bridging this resource gap. The ICRC and IFRC are calling for increased recognition of the mental health consequences of humanitarian crises and greater investment in the critical role of local actors to fill existing gaps in providing mental health and psychosocial services during humanitarian crises. “We see more and more invisible suffering today. Mental health and psychosocial support must therefore be a priority in humanitarian emergencies and taken as seriously as physical health,” said ICRC’s Yves Daccord.

Read more
|
Press release

Media Advisory: Red Cross at Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting: We cannot forget the most vulnerable

Geneva, 28 June 2019--The Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) will press for a greater focus on protecting the world’s vulnerable from the impacts of climate change during the Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting (30 June-1 July 2019). Mr Elhadj As Sy will speak on the experience of Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers around the world who, every day, see the creeping and destructive reality of climate change, especially in already vulnerable communities. Mr Sy is a Commissioner on the Global Commission on Adaptation, where he is leading an initiative on preventing extreme weather events from becoming disasters. He can also speak on: The need for governments to dramatically and urgently increase investment in adaptation measures designed to protect and support the most vulnerable. The first impacts of climate change are already being experienced by the world’s poorest and most at-risk communities: this is where a lot of money and political will needs to be targeted. The emergence of heatwaves as a deadly threat for developed AND developing countries. This week’s heatwave in Europe is an example of the world we can expect, and cities the world over need to take steps now to ensure that the most vulnerable, including older people, the sick, the very young and people who are socially isolated are protected and supported.

Read more
|
Press release

Media Advisory: Women Deliver Conference: Gender inequality in humanitarian crises, deadly gender divide in Ebola

Vancouver/Geneva, 31 May 2019 – The global head of the world’s largest humanitarian network will highlight the deadly consequences of gender inequality in the wake of disasters and conflicts, during a high-profile plenary session at the Women Deliver Conference. Elhadj As Sy, the Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), will take part in a plenary session entitled The Power of Lift: Stepping up to use power for good, on Wednesday 5 June. He will call for a major shift in power dynamics during humanitarian emergencies by involving more women in leading, planning, and implementing emergency response operations. He will also highlight the work being done by women across the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in humanitarian response. Mr Sy is available for interviews between 3-5 June 2019. He can also speak on a range of humanitarian issues, including the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where women and girls account for roughly 60 percent of those infected.

Read more
|
Press release

Mozambique: “Speed, quality and scale of response critical to preventing disease outbreaks,” says IFRC Secretary General

Photo: Benjamin Suomela, Finnish Red Cross Geneva/Nairobi/Beira, 25 March 2019 – The Red Cross and Red Crescent network is speeding up efforts to prevent disease outbreaks in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, with the arrival today of an Emergency Response Unit that will provide sanitation for 20,000 people every day. An emergency field hospital will follow. “After a disaster of this magnitude, the speed, quality, and scale of our response is critical to to stop the risk of waterborne disease outbreaks like cholera,” said the Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Elhadj As Sy, at a media briefing at the United Nations in Geneva today. “As flood waters recede, hundreds of thousands of people still lack water, shelter and health care. We now see even more clearly the real consequences of this disaster.” Many National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are also supporting the response through the deployment of Emergency Response Units made up of trained technical specialists and pre-packed sets of standardized equipment deployed at short notice. They are vital disaster response tools, providing immediate support. A Red Cross field hospital is now en route to Mozambique to provide urgently-needed medical care. The hospital can provide medical services, emergency surgery, maternal and newborn care as well as inpatient and outpatient services for at least 150,000 people. A cargo flight will leave Geneva today with a Logistics Emergency Response Unit that will ensure that goods are received and channeled through customs, and that transportation is available for Red Cross volunteers. The Logistics Emergency Response Unit plays a key role in ensuring that resources provided by donors are tracked and managed. A further Emergency Response Unit – which will provide clean water for 15,000 people a day – is expected to arrive in the coming days. The IFRC is tripling its Emergency Appeal from an initial 10 million to 31 million Swiss francs, to support a huge escalation in the Red Cross and Red Crescent response and prevention efforts. The funds will enable IFRC to support the Mozambique Red Cross to provide 200,000 people with emergency assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, health, livelihoods and protection services over the next 24 months. “We are seeing tremendous collaboration and partnership from National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from all over the world, and from our international and United Nations partners,” said Mr Sy. “But this disaster is not over, and we need to brace ourselves for the months ahead. It is vital that the response also empowers local leaders and local humanitarian actors, as Mozambique responds to this crisis.” Cyclone Idai has affected more than 1.85 million people in Mozambique, according to the United Nations. An estimated 483,000 people have been displaced by the floods, which destroyed and submerged an area of more than 3,000 square kilometres.

Read more
|
Press release

Mozambique: “Tens of thousands of families have lost everything”

Beira/Nairobi/Geneva, 22 March 2019 – The Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC ), Elhadj As Sy, speaking at the end of a visit to Beira, Mozambique and surrounding areas, said: “The scale and scope of suffering and damage is breath taking. Hundreds of thousands of people have been impacted in some way. We must respond fast and at scale, and prepare to accompany the affected populations on a longer term.” Mr Sy visited areas outside of Beira that were flooded by the cyclone. He also joined Mozambique Red Cross volunteers at the port in Beira as they received people who had been evacuated from flooded areas by boat. “I was able to fly over some of the flooded areas. The scale of this crisis is staggering. But we can’t forget that it is an intimate and human crisis. Tens of thousands of families have lost everything. Children have lost parents. Communities have lost schools and clinics. “Tragically, we know that the full picture of this disaster is probably even worse than it seems now. The death toll will probably rise further as more and more areas are reached and as more and more bodies are recovered,” said Mr Sy. There is growing concern among aid groups on the ground of potential disease outbreaks. Already, some cholera cases have been reported in Beira along with an increasing number of malaria infections among people trapped by the flooding. Mr Sy called on governments and donors to support the IFRC and Mozambique Red Cross preliminary emergency appeal for 10 million Swiss francs. These funds will allow Red Cross volunteers and aid workers to reach 75,000 people. This appeal will be substantially increased in the coming days as IFRC expands its operation to reach more people. Relief efforts are primarily focused on providing emergency shelter, health, water, sanitation and hygiene. Already, 1,500 emergency shelter kits that have already been distributed by Red Cross volunteers, providing families with protection from the elements and some degree of privacy and dignity. Shelter supplies for about 3,000 families will arrive by boat next week from a French Red Cross warehouse on Réunion island. A further dispatch of basic relief supplies (including tarpaulins, buckets and blankets) – enough for 37,500 people – will arrive mid next week. In addition, two IFRC Emergency Response Units (ERU) – one that can provide basic sanitation facilities for 20,000 people, and one that can produce clean water for 15,000 people per day – will arrive in Beira early next week. A third logistics ERU is also en route.

Read more
|
Press release

Emergency water and sanitation units deployed to disaster-struck Mozambique

Beira/Nairobi/Geneva, 21 March 2019 – Two major emergency response units are being deployed to Beira in Mozambique as the world’s largest humanitarian network continues to scale up its response to Cyclone Idai. The first will provide basic sanitation facilities for up to 20,000 people. The second will produce up to 225,000 litres of clean water per day – enough for 15,000 people. The humanitarian experts accompanying the units will arrive in the coming days, with the equipment to arrive in Beira early next week. Jamie LeSueur, the Head of Operations in Mozambique for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said: “We know that health risks can rise dramatically in the aftermath of any emergency, let alone one of this magnitude. We are concerned about the potential spread of waterborne disease. These emergency response units will be crucial for preventing that spread, and for making sure that people have the basic support they need.” A third emergency response unit, designed to manage the complex logistics involved in an operation of this scale, is also being deployed. In addition to water and sanitation, IFRC and Mozambique Red Cross are also aiming to address the massive shelter needs caused by the tropical cyclone and the floods. According to the government, at least 400,000 people have been displaced. Red Cross volunteers have already distributed emergency shelter kits – made up tarpaulins and basic tools – to about 1,500 families. These kits were part of a consignment that IFRC managed to deploy to Beira ahead of the flooding. Tomorrow (22 March), an additional consignment of emergency shelter kits for 3,000 families will arrive at the Beira port. These crucial supplies were deployed in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai from a French Red Cross warehouse on Réunion island. “Many people have been waiting for days for rescue and for support. It’s encouraging that the humanitarian response is really starting to come to scale. But more help is needed, and we are continuing to do all we can to bring in more resources and to reach more people,” said LeSueur. IFRC and Mozambique Red Cross are appealing for 10 million Swiss francs to help 75,000 people. Red Cross will focus on reaching those worst affected by the crisis. In addition to water and sanitation and shelter, IFRC is also focusing on responding to health needs and to ensuring that cyclone survivors are safe from harm during the coming recovery. IFRC Secretary General, Elhadj As Sy, is in Beira today and tomorrow and will be visiting Red Cross response efforts and meeting with affected communities.

Read more
|
Press release

Understanding and working with communities is essential to end Ebola, says IFRC Secretary General

Kinshasa/Nairobi/Geneva, 20 March 2019 – The Secretary General of the world’s largest humanitarian network has called on organizations responding to Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to place more emphasis on deepening understanding of communities and partnering with them to respond to their needs. Speaking at the end of a three day visit to the DRC, Elhadj As Sy, the Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said: “Communities are key to ending Ebola. Only with their engagement and active participation will we be able to stop this outbreak. Fear, resistance and even denial are often encountered when people are overwhelmed by shocks, hazards and epidemics; but they can be overcome building on community norms, values and social capital.” “Mistrust, coupled with violence and insecurity, challenge our response; so we welcome the growing concerted efforts to actively listen to communities and accompany them to be part of the solution,” said Mr Sy. Ebola operations in North Kivu have been hampered by violence against responders and treatment facilities. However, despite these challenges, 1,300 Red Cross volunteers, all from Ebola-affected communities, are continuing to conduct safe and dignified burials and are involved in community engagement and accountability work. They have conducted nearly 2,500 safe burials, almost five times more than the officially reported number of Ebola deaths. They further reached close to 905,000 people with locally adapted information and collected their feedback to continuously improve on our response. The Ebola outbreak which began in August 2018, has hit communities in 20 health zones in North Kivu and Ituri provinces. It has not spread to other urban areas or across the border into neighbouring countries of Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan; but the risk remains very high. “Ebola does not respect borders. We are treating this as a regional threat and calling for urgent scale up of preparedness efforts in North Kivu and Ituri provinces and in neighbouring countries,” said Mr Sy. The DRC Red Cross is set to strengthen its Ebola operation with the support of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners. Mr Sy travelled to Kinshasa, Goma and Bunia alongside Henrietta Fore, Executive Director for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Mark Lowcock, Head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). They met with the President of DRC and Head of State, Felix Tshisekedi, other Government representatives, Red Cross staff and volunteers and humanitarian partners involved in the Ebola response

Read more