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Congo-Kinshasa: The Red Cross Celebrates Its 144th Birthday
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United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
8 May 2008
Posted to the web 8 May 2008
Nina Yacoubian
Each year on May 8, World Red Cross Day is commemorated. A press conference to celebrate the event was chaired by Dominique Lutula, national president of the Red Cross in the DRC (CRRDC), on 8 May 2008, at the seat of the Central Committee of the Red Cross in the DRC.
Also in attendance was the Representative of the International Federation of the Companies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in the DRC (FICR), Abdoul Azize Diallo, the head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Kinshasa Ernest Haridi as well as Djomo Ngumbi, a member of the Management Committee of the Red Cross in the DRC.
The national president of the CRRDC, who introduced the topic retained for the year 2008: "Together for Humanity", indicated that a particular stress will be laid on working in partnership "in order to prepare the communities to face catastrophes, of the many that we face throughout the world."
The CRRDC is "resolutely committed" to this approach through its strategy Programme Initiative Congo (PIC), which is "a community approach" taking account of the needs of "the vulnerable" living within communities, said Mr. Lutula.
The humanitarian action of the CRRDC, which is undertaken in partnership with the ICRC and the FICR - has four fields of intervention, said Mr. Lutula.
"It is about the promotion of health and community actions, the management of catastrophes, the promotion of humanitarian values, through the fight against sexual violence and the stigmatization of minorities, and the development of organisational capacities."
However, the national president of the Red Cross in the DRC insisted that in spite of the broad width of its intervention, the CRRDC cannot "replace the authorities" because "the mission of improving the living conditions of the population or the victims of all kinds of catastrophes is with the authorities."
"We are only auxiliary to public authorities as regards humanitarian needs. We do what we can do compared to our human resources, material and financial capacities," he added.
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For his part, FICR Representative Mr. Diallo explained the support of the Federation to the mission of the CRRDC, through the financing by its partners.
"Our priority here is to make use of the bond between the national company and the Secretariat in Geneva and through the Secretariat Offices which are in Dakar and Yaounde. This is so that all that is done is known, appreciated and evaluated and so that the CRRDC is supported by the donors," he said.
The CRRDC was recognised by the International Committee of the Red Cross on July 4, 1963 and was inscribed on August 28 of the same year to the International Federation of the companies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
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| Copyright © 2008 United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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