Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - 21 May 2007
"We can no longer address this or that manifestation of human vulnerability in this or that part of the world as an isolated event," said the International Federation's president, Juan Manuel Suarez del Toro, in an opening address underlining the need for a global approach to global challenges. "It is clear that, in spite of the distance, the root causes and the consequences are interdependently related."
Migration, one of the two main themes of the conference, which began on 20 May, is no longer "a string of occasional events but a constant trend". Susan Martin, director of the US Institute for the Study of International Migration told delegates there were nearly 200 million migrants in the world today - double the figure a quarter of a century ago.
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, she added, could play "a vital role" in addressing the root causes of migration and in protecting the rights of migrants.
The conference is being hosted by the Turkish Red Crescent. Its president, Tekin Kucukali, referring to the 1.5m people who came over the border into Turkey during the Balkan wars and those who left Iraq in 1989-1990, said:
"Our country, which is at the junction of cultures and continents and serves as a bridge between two civilizations, has long been paying attention to the subject of migration and migrants".
The Federation president said there were countries simply needing people to contribute to progress, and also people fleeing difficult living conditions to look for a better life. "Migration must be woven into a scenario yet to be established," he said, including "the sustainable development of the most vulnerable communities".
It was vital, he said, that Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies continued to "influence public opinion, emphasizing that the decision to migrate, to abandon one's roots, is generally one that people are compelled to take."
Red Cross and Red Crescent societies have recently been helping irregular migrants who arrive after extremely perilous journeys needing urgent help. Del Toro reiterated that the Federation's humanitarian mission was to bring assistance to migrants regardless of their legal status.
Sometimes, however, public opinion did not view Red Cross and Red Crescent involvement with irregular migrants positively, the president of the Standing Commission, Dr. Mohamed al-Hadid, said in his speech. But, he added, it had to be remembered that this work "with and for them is not a statement on their legal status or the motives which have forced them to move."
The second theme of the conference, health and care, comes against a backdrop of major European and global challenges: the World Health Organization (WHO), for example, estimates that by 2050 more than a quarter of Europe's population will be over 65; and the need for health and care services has been increased by migration, socio-economic crisis, AIDS and tuberculosis, and changing disease patterns.
Dr. Gudjon Magnusson, from the World Health Organization's Office for Europe, said growing environmental, economic and social inequalities between and within European countries, including an unacceptable 20-year difference in life expectancy, made it difficult to cope with major health challenges "unless we unite our forces in partnerships and involve communities".
In 2006 UNAIDS reported 2,440,000 people living with HIV in Europe and Central Asia; the year before there were 445,000 new TB cases and 66,000 deaths in Europe.
New threats, including Avian flu and 19 other pathogens discovered in the last two decades, demanded action and special measures, according to the WHO. "When, not if, we have a Avian flu pandemic, the role of Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies will be vital," Dr. Magnusson emphasized.
With their long record of work in health, National Societies are a major force for mobilizing public awareness of health threats, promoting healthy lifestyles, preventing disease, and providing life-saving first aid in accidents and emergencies.
Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers, with their unique access at local-community level, can mount health information campaigns far more effectively than anyone else.
"The challenges ahead of mankind cannot be addressed by states alone or by ourselves as a Movement and part of civil society," said Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid. "They demand that we join forces, work in cooperation and partnership for lasting results." National Societies were in a key position to form partnerships with governments to advocate and act.
Juan Manuel Suarez del Toro asked delegates to focus on the need to promote healthy lifestyles among young people, persuade them to say no to drugs and reject violence, and also teach them healthy eating habits. He added:
"We must all promote road safety for all ages to stop deaths caused by traffic accidents, which constitute a major disaster of our times with enormous financial and social costs."
More than 300 delegates from over 50 European Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies are meeting in Istanbul until 24 May. They will devise plans to help and protect migrants, provide adequate access to health care for vulnerable and marginalized groups, and more effectively use the resources and experience of local communities in implementing disaster relief and risk-reduction programmes.
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