RIYADH: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority has been elected to to represent the Asia-Pacific region on the board of directors of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
It secured the four-year term on Sunday in a vote by member societies during the 23rd session of the federation’s general assembly, which continues until Tuesday at the its headquarters in Geneva.
SRCA President Jalal Al-Owaisi congratulated King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following the election victory, which he said reflects Saudi Arabia’s international status in the fields of humanitarian and relief work in particular, and the significant role the country plays in the service of humanity as it carries out the directives of the country’s leaders.
Al-Owaisi, who is leading the Saudi delegation at the General Assembly, said that the SRCA is eager always to be an active and influential member of the federation, regardless of its role within the organization, but added that election to the board will help it to fulfill its mission and push it to enhance its efforts to alleviate suffering and extend a helping hand to those who need it.
He said that the authority strives to save lives, protect livelihoods, promote recovery from disasters and crises, and help build the capacities of individuals and communities to find sustainable solutions to the challenges they face. It also aims to empower people to enjoy healthy and safe lives, promote a culture of peace and non-violence, and provide assistance to those in need as a result of man-made and natural disasters, he added.
This is the second time that the SRCA has been elected to represent the Asia-Pacific region on the federation’s board of directors. It previously secured a four-year term in a vote held in Sydney in November 2013.
Al-Owaisi said the SRCA is eager to play an active role in federation meetings “because the humanitarian mission adopted by the authority is not limited to the local and national levels alone, but is completed only by harnessing the potentials, capabilities and experiences to spread humanitarian thought to every needy person in the different countries of the world, to preserve lives and alleviate suffering. We are with man wherever man is.”
The work and aims of the SRCA are, he added, “fully consistent with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 (development and diversification agenda), which believes that humanitarian and relief work is an essential factor in building an international community based on cooperation and the desire to build, while rejecting division and violence.”
Also on Sunday, Francesco Rocca from Italy was reelected president of the federation for another four years.
