Nat’l Red Cross hosts Asia Pacific Red Cross, Red Crescent leaders meet

By Jimmyley I. Guzman

Wednesday 23rd of May 2012

MANILA, May 23 (PIA) -- The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) hosted a two-day meeting of Red Cross and Red Crescent leaders in Asia-Pacific zone on May 21 and 22.

In a release, the two-day meeting of leaders in Manila was aimed at building the capacity of the National Societies in the region in preparation for bigger disasters and other threats brought by climate change as well as other hazards.

“This meeting is very timely as we prepare for the growing humanitarian challenges ahead. I can feel the strong impulse of unity and universality among the participants. We hope that our shared vision and shared struggle will enable us to do more, do better and reach further to save more lives and alleviate suffering,” PNRC chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon said.

He added that the meeting aimed to establish a management benchmark process anchored on transparency, integrity and accountability.

Gordon also expressed his honor to host such an important gathering of Red Cross and Red Crescent leaders from eight National Societies from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Fiji, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, and the Philippines.

Three facilitators also came from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Geneva and from AP Zone in Kuala Lumpur.

According to the PRC, the meeting focused on organizational capacity and assessment pursuant to IFRC Strategy 2020 aimed at further strengthening the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

The Red Cross Red Crescent leaders’ meeting will be followed by a three-day forum for facilitators who will conduct organizational capacity review among identified national societies in the region.

The event is jointly organized by PRC and IFRC Delegation in the Philippines. (PRC/RJB/JEG-PIA NCR)