Delegates at the 31st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2011 in Geneva. (Source: intercrossblog.icrc.org)
Geneva (VNA) – Vietnam is attending the ongoing 32nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva, which opened in Geneva on December 8 to discuss humanitarian issues.
The country is among more than 190 state parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
In his opening address, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer said the world has entered an era in which “armed conflicts are greater in complexity and numbers of actors, longer in duration, wider in their regional impacts, broader in tactics and weapons used and, above all, more atrocious in the human suffering they cause”.
Maurer called on all state members to scale up their response and make it more relevant to existing needs.
He also proposed stronger cooperation and coordination within the Movement, which must be tailored to the realities of each context and each component’s mandate.
Earlier, the General Assembly of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has adopted a new 1-billion-Swiss franc Plan and Budget for the expansion of its support to vulnerable communities around the world.
According to IFRC Secretary-General Elhadj As Sy, the budget reflects the increasing scale and complexity of humanitarian needs.
The global strengths of the Red Cross and Red Crescent were built up by its communities at the local level. The organisation has 17 million volunteers and has established its presence in more than 165,000 local branches from the largest cities to the most remote villages in 190 countries.
The Vietnam Red Cross Society joined the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in November 4, 1957 during the IFRC General Assembly in New Delhi, India.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement includes the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).-VNA
