Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - May 11, 2005
Roy Probert in Geneva
The letter, which follows on from a number of regional agreements between the two organisations, was signed by International Federation Director of Policy and Relations, Ibrahim Osman, on behalf of Secretary Markku Niskala, and Dr David Nabarro, representing the WHO Director General, Lee Jong-wook. It points out that the cooperation between the two organizations is based on "their complementary approach" and the shared objective of reduce avoidable loss of life, the burden of disease and disability in crises.
"The International Federation and WHO share the view that their already extensive cooperation should be further scaled up through activities that can make a positive impact for public health and the struggle against disease," said the letter.
Among the practical steps it outlines are: to enhance contacts between WHO field offices and International Federation delegations; build new relationships between National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Ministries of Health and support activities which build national capacity. The two organizations are particularly keen to step up collaboration in the fields of emergencies and health action in crisis situations, HIV/AIDS and advocacy.
The complementary nature of the Red Cross Red Crescent and the WHO and other big public health players was expected to be a recurring theme of the forum, which runs from 11 to 13 May.
Bruce Eshaya-Chauvin, head of the International Federation's Health and Care Department explained to the 110 participants from 35 National Societies and partner organisations that the timing of the forum, coming less than one week before the start of the annual World Health Assembly in Geneva, was significant.
"WHO, one of our major partners, needs you in the field to reach the most vulnerable in their communities," he said. "And we also need the WHO to advocate at the Ministry of Health level on the importance of volunteer networks which our National Societies represent."
He pointed out that 70 per cent of National Society activities were in the field of health, and many had been involved in highly successful programmes that sister National Societies could learn from.
"We want to provide a platform for National Societies to profile some of their extraordinary achievements and to share and learn from the experiences of others," Eshaya-Chauvin said.
"It is important that we develop a common approach that harnesses the strengths and capacities of National Societies and partners for sustainable scaling up of health interventions. As a result of this forum we would like to see an enhanced dialogue between National Societies and their Ministries of Health, so that the network of community-based Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers can add more value and their work can have greater visibility."
Many success stories will be highlighted this week, from the crucial involvement of Red Cross volunteers in a groundbreaking integrated health campaign in Togo which protected children against measles, polio and malaria, to the response of community-based volunteers in Sri Lanka and Indonesia during the recent tsunami.
The Federation's admired partnership with the Global Network of People living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+) and its regional affiliates, as well as the Red Cross Red Crescent's model for ensuring successful treatment of tuberculosis patients will also be discussed.
The overall theme of the forum is how best to utilise the unique resource of tens of millions of volunteers, particularly with regard to community mobilization, advocacy and partnerships within the areas of HIV/AIDS, health in emergencies and community health programmes.
"Social mobilisation of communities by volunteers is a cornerstone of Red Cross and Red Crescent work. It complements the political and technical work of Ministries of Health and the WHO and ensures that health interventions have an impact even in the most vulnerable and hard-to-access groups within societies," says Freddy Pedersen, President of the Danish Red Cross and Chair of the International Federation's Health Commission.
"One message we hope emerges this week and one that will be repeated during our interventions at the World Health Assembly is that our grassroots network of millions of volunteers is an essential component in efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Without the engagement of civil society, it is unlikely these targets will be met," he adds.
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