ADDIS ABABA– Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) signed a 30 million Birr agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for activities to be undertaken in 2020.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, Abera Lulessa, Deputy Secretary-General for Support Service with ERCS stated that the agreement is unique and multidimensional as it provides not only disaster response activities, but also health care, sanitary and other support.
The major objective of the agreement is to enhance the response capacity of ERCS. “Though the mandates of ERCS are responding to natural and man-made disasters; however, in the case of this particular agreement, the response will focus on armed conflict and disputes”.
As a result, providing food and non-food materials, reuniting families will be among the major activities that are expected to be carried out by the Society in 2020.
Julien Lerisson, ICRC Head of Delegation, for his part, mentioned that the Red Cross provides protection and assistance to people affected by conflict and violence. It tends to focus on the man-made side of disasters like conflict and violence.
He said: “Ethiopia is in a path of change. ICRC is here to stand by its Ethiopian brothers and support people in need.”
While ERCS and ICRC have longstanding partnership history operating mainly on humanitarian activities, the signed agreement is part of the partnership framework agreement signed in 2018, it was learnt.
January 2020 The Ethiopian Herald
BY BETELHEM BEDLU
