Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - December 15, 2005
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was breaking from its policy of issuing annual 12-month appeals to help facilitate better planning of its humanitarian operations and ward off the effects of donor fatigue in case of future disasters.
"We have come to the conclusion that, unless there is a fundamental change in emphasis from response to preparedness, global resources to respond adequately and in a timely manner to an increase in disaster-linked demands will be over-stretched in the years to come," the federation's secretary-general, Markku Niskala, said in a statement.
The Red Cross typically is one of the first organizations to send aid workers to disaster zones, including the Indian Ocean tsunami, the South Asia earthquake and the U.S. Gulf Coast hurricanes.
The federation will spend nearly 40 percent of the funds it seeks in Africa, where it is helping battle HIV/AIDS, polio, measles and malaria.
About 25 percent of the appeal is earmarked for Asia, mostly to help countries prepare for potential natural disasters and public health emergencies such as dengue fever and bird flu.
"Millions of people may not have access to the assistance they need if resources are insufficient," Niskala said.
Federation officials also said they hoped to begin receiving money again from the American Red Cross, which has withheld more than $35 million in dues since 1999 in a bid to force the inclusion of Israel into the movement.
After a new Red Cross emblem was accepted at an international conference last week, Israel looks set to join the Red Cross movement after nearly six decades of exclusion.
The Jewish state's society - Magen David Adom, or Red Shield of David - had refused to use the movement's red cross emblem or the red crescent preferred by Muslim nations.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent have 100 million volunteers worldwide.
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On the Net: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: http://www.ifrc.org
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