The meeting was chaired by the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) in its role as the Chair of the mechanism of leaders of the Southeast Asia Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said the event holds great significance at a time when the world and Southeast Asia are facing non-traditional security threats, in particular the COVID-19 pandemic.
World governments, including Vietnam’s, are fighting the pandemic and also providing relief to victims, and humanitarian activities are increasingly urgent, he said.
The official expressed his hope that via the meeting, the VRCS and its counterparts would offer various initiatives to improve the efficiency of humanitarian activities.
Dam thanked the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and its Southeast Asian members for their help to Vietnam’s development in general and in the activities of the VRCS in particular.
The Vietnamese Government has vowed to partner with the VRCS and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to build a region and world of peace, cooperation, and prosperity.
VRCS Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu affirmed the society’s role, position, and responsibility in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Southeast Asia and the world that contribute to the common success of Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020.
She called upon partners in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Southeast Asia, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to support residents in localities hit by flooding in early October and any future disasters in Vietnam.
Over the course of two days, participants will review the outcomes of the delivery of commitments reached at the 16th meeting, including the implementation of the Manila Call for Action.
They are expected to reach consensus on measures to realise resolutions adopted in December 2019 in Geneva, discuss contents related to a cooperation agreement with the ASEAN Secretariat, look into the fight against COVID-19 at the national and regional levels, and update several effective cooperation mechanisms and models to mitigate disaster risks.
They are also scheduled to approve a conclusion of the meeting and transfer the chairmanship of the mechanism of leaders of the Southeast Asia Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to the Thai Red Cross Society.
