SARD Update Foreword Dear Colleagues and Friends, We have had a very good, positive response from many of you in South Asia and beyond on the first issue of the South Asia Update. You found it useful and informative, both in content and format. This encouraged us, and we are looking into options for making it even more reader-friendly. As we were preparing this second issue, Nepal was struck by a devas- tating earthquake followed by hundreds of aftershocks. The situation is very dire for hundreds of thousands of people. The IFRC has thrown all its global emergency response resources into support to the Nepal Red Cross Society – with Emergency Response Units (ERUs), Field Assessment Coordination Teams (FACTs), Region- al Disaster Response Teams (RDRTs) and a massive relief supply pipeline. A revised appeal for 93 million Swiss francs was launched by our secretary general on 15 May in Kathmandu. It fills me with immense pride that South Asian countries and National Societies have responded immediately in their own way to support the Nepal Red Cross Society and affected communities. Relief supplies were sent by the Indian Red Cross Society, and Pakistan Red Crescent Society and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society offered their relief stock. Maldivian Red Crescent mounted an innovative resource mobilization campaign for Nepal, and the backbone of the RDRTs’ deployment to Nepal is from South Asia. An integral part of the response capacity on the ground, your staff and volunteers working as RDRT, in very difficult conditions, are demonstrating the best of spirit, cour- age and knowledge of the context, and very much appreciated by Nepal Red Cross and IFRC col- leagues. As we move towards the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase, it is time to reflect on how the Red Cross Red Crescent could contribute in a positive, constructive way towards not just building back better and stronger – there will be more earthquakes in Nepal in the future due to the underlying geological fragmentation. But there’s also a need for the country to change its socio-economic para- digm: to reduce and eliminate poverty, to find ways how to attract its own young people, currently seeking employment in construction and other industries abroad, to have employment and a future in their own communities so that they could build resilient and beautiful buildings in Nepal, rather than doing it as migrant workers elsewhere. It is our strong belief that we, Red Cross Red Crescent, as truly indigenous organizations, with knowledge of community drivers, needs, opportunities and constraints, localised knowledge and action, can and should be the main partners of the government and others in addressing this truly systemic issue, and finding and proposing solutions towards building a better future. This could be one of the themes for reflection in the next meeting of South Asia National Societies Leaders, which we now are planning for sometime in the fall. As always, we are interested on your feedback on the SARD Update. Please send your thoughts to Rosemarie North, SARD communications and advocacy manager: [email protected]Simon Missiri Head of Delegation, SARD South Asia Regional Delegation Programme Update March - May 2015 Foreword 1 Nepal: South Asia responds 2 Nepal: Neighbours come to the rescue 2 Nepal: RDRT in action 3 Nepal: Who would we be if we didn’t try? 3 Nepal: General assembly 4 Pakistan: Lessons from the 2014 flood response 4 Pakistan: Communities plan for resilience 4 SARD: Code of conduct 4 Bangladesh: New leaders 5 Maldives: Seventh General assembly 5 Maldives: More spokespeople, greater visibility 5 SARD: Swedish Red Cross care for delegates 5 Sri Lanka: More than 55,000 receive permanent houses 6 India: Simulation exercises to increase awareness 6 Afghanistan: Five-year health agreement 7 Afghanistan: World Red Cross Red Crescent Day 7 New SARD programme coordi- nator 7 New SARD communications and advocacy manager 7 New SARD resource mobiliza- tion manager 7 Contents
7
Embed
May 2015 - International Federation of Red Cross … Pacific...3 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies SARD Delegation / Programme Update March–May 2015
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
SARD Update
Foreword
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
We have had a very good, positive response from many of you in
South Asia and beyond on the first issue of the South Asia Update.
You found it useful and informative, both in content and format. This
encouraged us, and we are looking into options for making it even
more reader-friendly.
As we were preparing this second issue, Nepal was struck by a devas-
tating earthquake followed by hundreds of aftershocks. The situation
is very dire for hundreds of thousands of people. The IFRC has
thrown all its global emergency response resources into support to the Nepal Red Cross Society –
with Emergency Response Units (ERUs), Field Assessment Coordination Teams (FACTs), Region-
al Disaster Response Teams (RDRTs) and a massive relief supply pipeline. A revised appeal for 93
million Swiss francs was launched by our secretary general on 15 May in Kathmandu.
It fills me with immense pride that South Asian countries and National Societies have responded
immediately in their own way to support the Nepal Red Cross Society and affected communities.
Relief supplies were sent by the Indian Red Cross Society, and Pakistan Red Crescent Society and
Bangladesh Red Crescent Society offered their relief stock. Maldivian Red Crescent mounted an
innovative resource mobilization campaign for Nepal, and the backbone of the RDRTs’ deployment
to Nepal is from South Asia. An integral part of the response capacity on the ground, your staff and
volunteers working as RDRT, in very difficult conditions, are demonstrating the best of spirit, cour-
age and knowledge of the context, and very much appreciated by Nepal Red Cross and IFRC col-
leagues.
As we move towards the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase, it is time to reflect on how the Red
Cross Red Crescent could contribute in a positive, constructive way towards not just building back
better and stronger – there will be more earthquakes in Nepal in the future due to the underlying
geological fragmentation. But there’s also a need for the country to change its socio-economic para-
digm: to reduce and eliminate poverty, to find ways how to attract its own young people, currently
seeking employment in construction and other industries abroad, to have employment and a future
in their own communities so that they could build resilient and beautiful buildings in Nepal, rather
than doing it as migrant workers elsewhere. It is our strong belief that we, Red Cross Red Crescent,
as truly indigenous organizations, with knowledge of community drivers, needs, opportunities and
constraints, localised knowledge and action, can and should be the main partners of the government
and others in addressing this truly systemic issue, and finding and proposing solutions towards
building a better future. This could be one of the themes for reflection in the next meeting of South
Asia National Societies Leaders, which we now are planning for sometime in the fall.
As always, we are interested on your feedback on the SARD Update. Please send your thoughts to
Rosemarie North, SARD communications and advocacy manager: [email protected]
Simon Missiri
Head of Delegation, SARD
South Asia Regional Delegation Programme Update March - May 2015
Foreword 1 Nepal: South Asia responds 2 Nepal: Neighbours come to the rescue 2 Nepal: RDRT in action 3 Nepal: Who would we be if we didn’t try? 3 Nepal: General assembly 4 Pakistan: Lessons from the 2014 flood response 4 Pakistan: Communities plan for resilience 4 SARD: Code of conduct 4 Bangladesh: New leaders 5 Maldives: Seventh General assembly 5 Maldives: More spokespeople, greater visibility 5 SARD: Swedish Red Cross care for delegates 5 Sri Lanka: More than 55,000 receive permanent houses 6 India: Simulation exercises to increase awareness 6 Afghanistan: Five-year health agreement 7 Afghanistan: World Red Cross Red Crescent Day 7 New SARD programme coordi-nator 7 New SARD communications and advocacy manager 7 New SARD resource mobiliza-tion manager 7