Organization urged to improve its humanitarian services capacity, promote peace
From providing emergency relief and medical assistance in regions affected by disasters or conflicts to promoting international dialogue on humanitarian principles, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) has deepened global cooperation in the past five years and is planning to upgrade its foreign aid mechanism and engage in international emergency rescue action.
In a letter to the RCSC’s 12th general congress, which opened on Oct 9 in Beijing, President Xi Jinping called on the organization to focus on high-quality development and further improve its capability in providing humanitarian services.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the RCSC serves as a bridge and a bond connecting the Party and the government with the people in the humanitarian field.
He called on the organization to deepen reform and innovation, strengthen credibility, improve humanitarian service capabilities, and actively participate in and support international humanitarian causes to help bolster the nation’s modernization drive and contribute to promoting human peace and progress.
Xi emphasized that Party committees and governments at various levels should strengthen leadership and support for Red Cross work to foster a better environment for Red Cross organizations to fulfill their obligations.
The Red Cross Society of China, which was established in 1904, currently has 17 million members and 2.93 million volunteers.
Over the past five years, the organization has offered emergency humanitarian assistance to 16 Asian countries, 10 European nations, 13 African countries, and five countries in the Americas and Oceania to help them fight epidemics, according to a report delivered to the general congress, which concluded on Oct 10.
The RCSC has also sent medical experts to battle epidemics in Iran, Iraq and Italy, donating 1.6 million vaccine doses to 12 countries, including Lebanon, Ethiopia and Cambodia.
It has delivered emergency humanitarian assistance worth $10.7 million to 54 countries and sent material aid to regions affected by the 2023 Turkiye-Syria earthquake, the Ukraine crisis, and other major disasters or conflicts.
The RCSC has established funds and initiatives targeting countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and some developing nations. For example, a humanitarian aid program for seriously ill children benefited 309 youngsters with congenital heart disease in Afghanistan and Mongolia.
China, as one of the vice-president states of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from 2019 to 2022, also participated in the significant decision-making process of the IFRC and the governance of the Red Cross movement globally.
The RCSC held several forums and events to advance international communication of humanitarian efforts. The report to the organization’s general congress said the RCSC will introduce measures to intensify cooperation with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in the future.
Systems for delivering humanitarian aid overseas will be improved, and practical cooperation with Red Cross societies in countries and regions involved in the BRI will be ramped up, the report emphasized.
It added that the RCSC will seek to engage in international emergency rescue missions through multilateral channels and will support China’s regional Red Cross societies’ engagement in global cooperation projects.
During the opening ceremony on Oct 9, Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong called on the RCSC to enhance its core capabilities in delivering humanitarian aid and emergency rescue and care, as well as in promoting blood, bone marrow, and organ donations.
Liu, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said it is important for the RCSC to help weave a tighter safety net to ensure basic livelihoods while beefing up international cooperation.
The RCSC said it has about 1,000 emergency teams comprising over 100,000 members, specializing in search and rescue, healthcare, water supply, or public hygiene.
The RCSC has conducted first-aid training for more than 15 million people in the past five years and installed 65,000 automated external defibrillators in schools, communities, public transportation depots, and other public facilities to promote first-aid skills.
