AEGiS-IFRC: Annual appeal highlights Red Cross Red Crescent role in achieving development goals

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Annual appeal highlights Red Cross Red Crescent role in achieving development goals

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - 23 November 2004

The Millennium Development Goals will not be achieved without the engagement of communities, the kind of engagement through grassroots volunteers that is at the core of next year's annual appeal by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In its appeal for 2005, the Federation is asking for almost 209 million Swiss francs (US$ 180 million) to cover longer term development issues in the field of health, disaster preparedness and strengthening the capacity of volunteers on the ground.

"Our strategy is closely aligned with the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, which reflect mankind's most pressing concerns," says International Federation Secretary General Markku Niskala. "With its emphasis on improving the health of vulnerable communities and protecting their livelihoods against natural disasters, and because of its unparalleled grassroots network and the principles and values that underpin its work, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, clearly has a crucial part to play in making progress towards the MDGs."

Twenty-nine per cent of the appeal (almost 60 million Swiss francs, or US$51.6 million) is for Africa, where key concerns include continuing to scaling up the response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the fight against diseases such as polio, measles and malaria, which are among the biggest causes of child mortality. A similar amount is being requested for the Asia-Pacific region. Some two-thirds of this amount will go towards supporting the health infrastructure of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Afghanistan.

Significant work is being done elsewhere by national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies with the backing of the Federation: mitigating the impact of hurricanes in the Caribbean; fighting tuberculosis and a crumbling health care system in former Soviet states; challenging health inequities in South America; creating a community-based first aid network in the Middle East and North Africa; or rebuilding the earthquake-hit Iranian city of Bam.

Some 40 per cent of the total appeal figure - over 76 million Swiss francs, or US$ 65 million - will be spent on health and care programmes, a reflection that while nearly 77,000 people perished in natural disasters in 2003, some 13 million people die every year of infectious diseases. Twenty-five per cent of the appeal is earmarked for disaster management projects, while 19 per cent will be spent on programmes aimed at giving volunteers and staff on the ground the tools and skills they require to better assist those in need.

"This appeal demonstrates yet again that the Red Cross and Red Crescent is much more than a disaster response network. We believe in proactively reducing vulnerability to natural disasters and health emergencies. What Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and their Federation bring to the table is critical mass - almost 100 million volunteers in 181 countries, often living and working in remote or marginalised communities," Niskala says. "They do not walk away when the worst of a disaster is over. They are there for the long-haul, empowering and building the resilience of their neighbours. Investment in our programmes is not just about meeting immediate needs. It is about finding sustainable, long-term ways of reducing vulnerability and promoting development."

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