ARC

Annual Report 2004 “To improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity�

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Cover photo: A child in the tsunami-affected village of Kone Gyi, Myanmar.

Yoshi Shimizu/ International Federation

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, providing assistance without discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions.

Founded in 1919, the International Federation comprises 181 member Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – with others in formation – a secretariat in Geneva and more than 60 delegations strategically located to support activities around the world. The Red Crescent is used in place of the Red Cross in many Islamic countries.

The International Federation, together with the National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), make up the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: a global humanitarian organization

Contents

The International Federation’s mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. The most vulnerable people are those who are at greatest risk from situations that threaten their survival or their capacity to live with an acceptable level of social and economic security and human dignity.

Introduction ________________________________ 1

The International Federation coordinates and directs international assistance to victims of natural and technological disasters, to refugees and in health emergencies. It combines its relief activities with disaster preparedness, health and development work to strengthen the capacities of National Societies and through them, individual people.

The unique network of National Societies – which covers almost every country in the world – is the International Federation’s principal strength.

Cooperation between National Societies gives the International Federation greater potential to develop capacities and assist those most in need.

At a local level, the network enables the International Federation to reach individual communities.

National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies embody the work and principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. National Societies act as auxiliaries to the public authorities of their own countries in the humanitarian field and provide a range of services including disaster relief, health and social programmes. During wartime, National Societies assist the affected civilian population and support the army medical services where appropriate.

2004 at a glance ____________________________ 2

From the field Africa _______________________________________ Americas ____________________________________ Asia and the Pacific ___________________________ Europe and Central Asia _______________________ Middle East and North Africa ____________________

5 8 10 13 16

Strengthening capacities Capacity building _____________________________ Principles and values __________________________ Volunteering and youth _________________________ Cooperation _________________________________ Governance _________________________________

19 20 21 22 22

Building relationships Advocacy ___________________________________ Communications ______________________________ Partnerships _________________________________ Resource mobilization _________________________

25 26 27 29

Finances Introduction __________________________________ 30 Balance sheet ________________________________ 31 Income and expenditure ________________________ 32

Annual Report 2004 Introduction

Introduction This report highlights the work in 2004 of the International Federation and our National Societies to bring assistance to the world’s most vulnerable people and to improve our capacities to do so.

The tragic Indian Ocean tsunami, which ravaged the region at the end of the year, prompted the largest humanitarian operation in our history. It also showed us the power of humanity, as people all over the world donated generously to the relief effort, and Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worked in solidarity to assist those whose lives were devastated. This support is helping us to give many people hope for a better future.

During the year, we brought assistance to victims of many disasters – hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and droughts – and helped mitigate the effects of conflict and unrest, economic crises, population movements and health emergencies, especially the widespread disaster of HIV/AIDS. In today’s world, humanitarian organizations operate within a complex global context where disaster management, health issues and development are closely interrelated. It is also an ever-changing environment where globalization, demographic changes and insecurity all shape world events.

We must adapt to these changes if we are to attain our goals and provide humanitarian assistance effectively.

That is why we have been reviewing our place in the world, seeing how we can build on our successes and scale up efforts to achieve greater results in fulfilling our mission. This is the aim of the collaborative process we call “Our Federation of the Future”.

We must maintain the trust and respect placed in the Red Cross and Red Crescent with high-quality programmes and transparency in our actions. We must apply lessons learned to emerging challenges and we must continue to speak for the victims of silent and forgotten disasters.

We have learned that we cannot act alone, so we place high importance on building relationships with other players in the humanitarian sphere, and on promoting our humanitarian values.

As always, the activities described in this report could not have been possible without the dedication of millions of Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers worldwide, and the results of that work are a tribute to them all.

Juan M. Suárez del Toro R.

Markku Niskala

President

Secretary General

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2004 at a glance January

February

A huge Red Cross Red Crescent relief operation swung into action to prevent thousands of homeless families from dying from hunger and cold as night-time temperatures fell below zero in the devastated historic city of Bam, following an earthquake at the end of 2003.

Volunteers from the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran distributed tents, blankets, clothes, kerosene heaters and food to thousands of families while sister National Societies set up emergency medical facilities and water supplies.

To avert a catastrophe in Eritrea, where years of drought had left people with food and water shortages, the International Federation began a relief operation which included health and agricultural activities to reduce long-term vulnerabilities.

In the Philippines, the Red Cross helped people left homeless after heavy landslides buried their homes in December.

In Morocco, a violent earthquake struck the north-east coast killing 600 people and injuring another 500. The Moroccan Red Crescent set up a tented camp for 1,200 homeless survivors, where volunteers distributed meals, food and other relief goods.

An International Federation appeal was launched to provide water, health and sanitation services to 283,000 Angolan refugees in neighbouring countries, local people in their host communities and refugees returning to Angola after the civil war.

March

April

May

June

The International Federation launched an appeal to bring relief to thousands of people affected by social unrest in Haiti, while the Spanish Red Cross responded to bomb explosions that rocked three railway stations in Madrid, killing 200 people.

In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Red Cross assisted victims after a train explosion devastated the town of Ryongchon, killing 161 people and damaging more than 8,000 homes and local infrastructure.

To mark World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day on 8 May, the International Federation called for governments to step up their efforts to combat stigma and discrimination especially in relation to HIV and AIDS, and take active measures to promote tolerance and respect for cultural diversity.

The Red Cross of Chad and the International Federation scaled up their programmes for Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad as the situation deteriorated with new arrivals daily and the rainy season due.

As pressure mounted on local resources, the International Federation opened a new refugee camp in Tréguine in September.

The International Federation marked World Water Day and World TB Day with a commitment to increase the quantity of safe water provided to disaster-prone communities and highlighted European Red Cross work to fight tuberculosis, which claims 2 million lives a year.

A landmark agreement on disaster risk reduction was signed in Washington DC by the International Federation and the Organization of American States.

The Namibia Red Cross began a relief operation for thousands of people forced from their homes by the worst flooding in almost half a century in the remote Caprivi Strip.

The Red Cross Society of Côte d'Ivoire took on a lead role in mobilizing people in Abidjan for a crucial polio vaccination campaign, while on World Health Day on 7 April, the International Federation called for communities worldwide to improve road safety.

Devastating floods hit Haiti and the Dominican Republic, destroying crops, homes and livelihoods, and killing 2,000 people.

Red Cross volunteers helped search for and evacuate survivors, and distributed food, water and relief items, and educated people about the importance of drinking safe water and avoiding health risks.

Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from the Mediterranean area met for their ninth conference. The role that youth can play in relief operations, reducing violence, drug addiction campaigns and HIV/AIDS was high on the agenda.

Annual Report 2004 Annual review

July An international HIV/AIDS conference took place in Bangkok with the slogan “Access for All” to promote antiretroviral treatment for sufferers.

The International Federation urged nondiscrimination against sufferers and druginjectors.

As floods ravaged India, Bangladesh and Nepal, the International Federation launched an operation to assist almost 1.5 million people with relief supplies, health services and seeds.

August

September

October

November

December

Almost 1.5 million people fled their homes in China as floods and landslides devastated communities and agricultural land. The Red Cross Society of China provided immediate relief supplies, but as many of the victims are from poor rural communities, helping them recover remains a longer-term challenge.

The world watched shocked as armed gunmen stormed a school in Beslan.

Volunteers from the Russian Red Cross Society provided immediate support to relatives during the siege and went on to give long-term psychological assistance to victims and their families.

The International Federation published the 12th edition of the World Disasters Report with a focus on supporting community resilience to reduce the impact of disasters, by strengthening – and not undermining – extraordinary local coping mechanisms.

Communities along Colombia’s Atlantic coast struggled to cope with the effects of heavy flooding and landslides, as the Colombian Red Cross Society mobilized volunteers to help in search and rescue, provide first aid, and distribute food and drinking water.

African National Societies gathered in Algiers for a regional conference that committed to building partnerships and to scaling up their work in HIV/AIDS, health and food security.

On the International Day of Disaster Reduction, the International Federation urged donors to balance their relief for humanitarian crises with increased emphasis on risk reduction to mitigate the effects of disasters.

To meet humanitarian needs for 2005, the International Federation launched its Appeal 2005 seeking funding for long-term development programmes worldwide in the fields of health, disaster preparedness and strengthening volunteers.

On World AIDS Day, the International Federation urged governments to move from “good intentions to practical measures” for greater involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS in developing the policies and programmes that affect them. The International Federation joined 160 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) signing up to a code of good practice for those responding to HIV/AIDS.

In Kenya, extreme drought threatened rural communities as water sources dried up and crops wilted. The International Federation began an operation to assist 200,000 people with immediate food aid and to improve water supplies.

Four hurricanes tore through the Caribbean in August and September, leaving devastation in their wake and thousands of families in need of food, water and shelter. Red Cross Societies responded with relief aid on all the affected islands.

National Societies worldwide used World First Aid Day on 11 September to promote the value of first aid in saving lives.

The International Federation marked ten years of its status as a permanent observer to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, describing it as its “most important diplomatic tool”.

The Indonesian Red Cross Society distributed tarpaulins and mosquito nets, mostly to health facilities, when an earthquake struck the remote island of Alor leaving thousands of families homeless.

The Philippines suffered heavy flooding, but this was soon overshadowed as powerful tsunamis devastated coastal communities around the Indian Ocean rim in countries as far apart as Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia. Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers on the ground provided immediate relief assistance, and were soon supported by what was to become the biggest emergency operation ever launched by the International Federation.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Olav Saltbones/Norwegian Red Cross

Yoshi Shimizu/International Federation

From the field

As thousands of new refugees from Sudan fled into eastern Chad, the International Federation and Red Cross of Chad opened and managed a new refugee camp.

Many National Societies supported the relief operation for the tsunamis in Asia and East Africa, delivering clean water and establishing emergency medical facilities.

Annual Report 2004 From the field

Africa HIV/AIDS, vulnerability to disaster and food security are all interrelated, and together they present the Africa region with problems on a scale never seen before.

With 25 million people infected with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa alone, supporting people living with the disease was a key priority. A fourth year of drought in Eritrea highlighted the fragile food security situation in East Africa.

Helping prevent other killer diseases such as malaria and measles were also major health issues for the region.

International Federation

National Societies meeting at the 6th Pan African Conference reaffirmed their commitment to these priorities and highlighted the increasing importance of working in partnerships for a more effective response.

In Togo, a young child collects an insecticide-treated bed net which will protect him from the mosquitos that cause malaria.

Sudanese refugees in Chad The Red Cross of Chad and the International Federation opened a new refugee camp at TrĂŠguine in September to house a growing number of people fleeing conflict in Sudan.

The Red Cross was responsible for camp management, constructing shelters, distribution of food and non-food relief items, health services, community services and sanitation for the 14,000 refugees in the camp.

To reduce the strain that the camp puts on the local area, the International Federation is also working to address the longer-term needs of 9,000 local habitants.

German and Chad Red Cross medical teams provided health services to camp and local people, and ran vaccination campaigns against measles and polio.

Bed nets and vaccinations break records in Togo In December, the International Federation supplied 730,000 households in Togo with insecticide-treated bed nets to protect against malaria, innovatively using the set-up for a measles vaccination campaign to distribute the nets.

Integrated health campaigns are gaining support as a cost-effective way to reduce childhood illnesses.

Using the measles platform, the distribution cost of the nets in Togo was only 50 US cents each.

The Togolese Red Cross played the key role of social mobilization as 7,400 volunteers went from house to house across the country, encouraging familes to participate in the campaign. They will follow up to

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

The distribution was part of an unprecedented government initiative – involving more than 30 partner organizations – to protect young children against malaria, measles, polio and worms.

Food security – the wider issue Food security continues to blight the lives of many communities in East Africa, as recurrent floods and droughts strike countries with high poverty levels, continually eroding people’s ability to cope.

The International Federation and African National Societies have recognized in recent years the need to shift the focus from short-term food aid to reducing vulnerability to food insecurity in the long run.

National Societies in the region, aware that the problem is too great for them to address it alone, are building partnerships, such as with the World Food Programme and with sister National Societies. Many of these programmes address broader – but related – issues such as HIV/AIDS in Swaziland, water sources in Kenya and livestock in Rwanda.

The International Federation is studying how to mitigate disasters through long-term programmes, and a regional Food Security Working Group has been established, which can provide support for assessments.

Malaria is endemic in Togo, where 350,000 cases are reported every year, of whom 80 per cent are young children.

Four years of drought in Eritrea It takes 12-year-old Fatima a whole day to fetch water for her family. The nearest water source to her village of Ashera is 12 km away; the landscape is arid and dry, and Fatima can’t even remember the colour of grass.

Four years of drought have depleted food reserves across this agriculture-dependent country. For the Red Cross Society of Eritrea, an emergency operation in the district of Anseba became a long-term challenge to keep alive 55,000 people whose capacity to cope was fading.

The Red Cross provided food, seeds and tools and supplied drinking water by truck. It restored water wells and helped create community water committees to look after the wells. Solar-powered water pumps have sprung up in the middle of dry, lunar-like fields.

Partnerships central for Africa

Meeting at the 6th Pan African Conference of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Algiers, 50 National Societies agreed on a Plan of Action confirming HIV/AIDS as Africa’s most serious humanitarian challenge and outlining the following objectives: n Help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS through education, promoting use of condoms and fighting stigma and discrimination. n Support government efforts to increase access to antiretroviral treatment. n Provide psychosocial support to orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.

African National Societies committed in September 2004 to scale up their work in HIV/AIDS, health and food security, by making better use of their network of volunteers and working more closely with governments and partner organizations.

A coordination team will oversee implementation of the plan, which committed the National Societies to ensure food security and reduce illness and mortality in populations made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, disasters, poverty and in emergency situations.

The International Federation and Eritrean Red Cross helped avert a tragedy in 2004, bringing hope back to the people of Anseba. But more needs to be done in 2005 to restore water wells, create water harvesting projects and run health activities to help families like Fatima’s.

A Sudanese mother attends a health clinic to have her child examined by Red Cross medical teams in a refugee camp in eastern Chad.

Marko Kokic/International Federation

ensure the nets are used correctly. “Not only do we achieve high bed net coverage in less than two weeks, the Red Cross also provides longer-term community support to sustain the intervention and open the way to a commercial bed net market,” says Dr. Antoinette Awaga, the Togolese Red Cross health coordinator.

Fredrik Barkenhammar/German Red Cross

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Annual Report 2004 From the field

Red Cross Societies in six African countries hard-hit by the AIDS pandemic are to work with their governments to initiate and scale up antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) for people living with HIV/AIDS. To guide them, the International Federation developed a “service delivery model” in 2004.

National Societies in Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda have developed projects on care and ART in collaboration with their ministries of health and hope to reach a total of 30,000 people over five years. Using existing homebased care programmes, the Red Cross will carry out

community and household activities, while government hospitals will manage the clinical aspect of the work.

Now, they are developing ways of conveying early warnings for communities and strengthening their disaster preparedness and response capacities, so that children like Valerie may lead a safer life.

Around 3.1 million people worldwide died of AIDS in 2004 while 4.9 million contracted the disease, according to estimates from the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). But while people in developed countries have seen their lives prolonged and quality of life improved by ART, those living in developing countries do not have access to the treatment.

Strategy to fight malaria The International Federation developed a malaria strategy for Africa, where over 90 per cent of the world’s malaria mortality occurs. The strategy commits African National Societies to advocate and support malaria control as an integral part of their community health programmes. It focuses on the potential of volunteers to strengthen communitylevel efforts and commits National Societies to work in partnership with national Roll Back Malaria committees and regional NGO malaria networks.

To increase the knowledge and skills of Red Cross volunteers, training modules are being developed covering all aspects of ART from education and treatment to nutrition and counselling.

Tsunami in East Africa Six-year-old Valerie plays with a baby turtle; her smile hides the trauma of losing her home and all her toys. Her family’s house on a beach in La Digue was washed away by the tsunami that struck the lowlying Seychelles islands in December 2004.

Valerie is symbolic of thousands of other children living along the East African coastline and Indian Ocean islands. The devastating waves of the tsunami killed 300 people and left more than 2,300 homeless and traumatized in the region.

Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies provided vital support during the emergency phase to communities most affected, supplying relief items and clearing up debris.

Home-based care volunteers from the Zambia Red Cross Society will support antiretroviral drug therapy programmes for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Lydia Mirembe/International Federation

Antiretroviral drugs for AIDS sufferers

Somali Red Crescent Society volunteers help clear up debris in the aftermath of the December tsunami that hit coastal communities in East Africa.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Americas The effects of 2004’s hurricane season in the Caribbean were particularly devastating, but Red Cross Societies of the region, supported by the International Federation, were at the forefront of relief efforts. Staff and volunteers – many of whom were themselves victims of the hurricanes – courageously assisted those left most vulnerable.

For Haiti, already a country with a high poverty level, floods and a deteriorating security situation brought further hardship to people.

Marko Kokic/International Federation

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A Jamaica Red Cross volunteer assesses the damage left

by Hurricane Ivan, the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean in ten years.

Strengthening the capacities of National Societies remained a priority, with the Argentine Red Cross providing a positive example of how a fresh approach to structure and planning can help a National Society respond to changing needs in a country.

Health indicators in general have improved in the region, but there are still growing inequalities among different social groups and geographic areas. HIV/AIDS remains a major problem in the Caribbean.

Four hurricanes tear through the Caribbean Four major hurricanes – Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne – ripped through the Caribbean in August and September, bringing vicious winds, storms and floods that damaged homes, crops, infrastructure and utilities.

Red Cross Societies on the affected islands provided food, shelter, blankets, water purification tablets and hygiene items to thousands of the most-affected families; they also supplied sheets of zinc to replace damaged roofs.

Ivan was the most destructive hurricane in the region for ten years with winds up to 250 kph. On Grenada, it destroyed 90 per cent of homes and took out communications leaving the island cut off for hours.

Despite personal losses, Red Cross personnel worked tirelessly to assist 65,000 people – two-thirds of the island’s population.

The first hurricane to hit Grenada in 49 years, Ivan has prompted the National Society to scale up its disaster preparedness work with local communities.

“Meeting people’s psychological needs and having a good volunteer base and management system in place are really important,” said Samantha Dickson of the Grenada Red Cross Society.

Hurricane Charley left low-lying areas of southern Cuba under flood. The Cuban Red Cross helped evacuate families to temporary shelters and provided care including food rations, first aid and psychosocial support.

Annual Report 2004 From the field

In September, Tropical Storm Jeanne brought further misery to the people of Haiti, many of whom were already suffering severe hardship as a result of a political crisis and floods earlier in the year. Jeanne killed 1,800 people and affected 300,000 as violent flash floods swept away homes and possessions, caused sewers and latrines to overflow and ruined agricultural land. The International Federation and the Haitian National Red Cross Society, already running relief operations for the social unrest and May floods, switched their focus to the worst-hit area of Gonaïves.

Despite a delicate security situation, 20 Red Cross volunteers worked to ensure that relief distributions were as safe and effective as possible, unloading relief supplies, checking ration cards and even escorting beneficiaries home.

In all, the International Federation supplied nonfood relief items to 10,800 families and food aid to 1,400 families. Several orphanages and a home for elderly people also received assistance. Safe water was provided at five distribution points, and a 100-bed emergency hospital was set up to provide health care as the local hospital was damaged by floods.

Thirty Red Cross volunteers visited schools and homes to promote good personal hygiene, latrine maintenance, water purification and refuse collection.

Together we can fight AIDS A peer education programme that teaches young people about HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean is being

expanded to Central America, where the epidemic is worsening among socially marginalized populations.

offering more democracy and accountability, and created a new strategic plan to guide the Society’s programmes in core areas.

Together We Can trains people aged 14–19 in basic issues such as transmission, stigma and discrimination. They then teach other young people about HIV/AIDS using the ABC approach: Abstinence, Be faithful, use a Condom.

With 7,500 peer educators already in the Caribbean, three Central American Societies have adopted the approach. In Panama, trainers hope to reach 1,000 students at a secondary school, while in Belize, they will target out-of-school youth in a disadvantaged area of Belize City. In Honduras, the methodology will be incorporated into an existing project.

National Societies in Mexico and Central America established a health network in 2004 to strengthen their capacity to control the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS. A similar network was set up in the Caribbean in 2000, where AIDS has become the leading cause of death among adults aged 15–44, according to UNAIDS.

Turnaround in Argentina The Argentine Red Cross has overhauled its organizational structure and programmes, so it can respond to the needs of an increasing number of vulnerable people in the country, where a series of economic crises have created higher levels of poverty.

Driven by the Society’s president and supported financially by the International Federation’s Capacity Building Fund, the change process brought in a new management team and staff, developed new statutes Assisting people left vulnerable by economic crisis is a new focus for the Argentine Red Cross.

Branches were involved in planning and encouraged to develop their volunteer base through training and engagement in community projects.

Having adapted to its environment, the Society is now more relevant to its beneficiaries, and has an improved reputation that is helping raise funds to sustain the process. The challenge ahead is to roll these changes out effectively at branch level.

Daniel Cima/International Federation

Floods and insecurity in Haiti

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Asia and the Pacific Asia Pacific is the most disasterprone region, bearing the weight of 60 per cent of all natural disasters.

Craig Wood/International Federation

High population levels add to the impact of these disasters; the region is home to almost two-thirds of the world’s population, many of whom live on flood plains and in coastal areas exposed to cyclones.

Yet, the most widespread fundamental problem in Asia Pacific is poverty; threequarters of the world’s poor live in the region, of whom 25 per cent exist in “absolute poverty”.

The size and diversity of the region, combined with its vast and vulnerable population, and susceptibility to disaster and disease, present huge challenges but also opportunities for the 35 Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the region.

Supplying clean drinking water was a key part of the Red Cross Red Crescent’s emergency assistance for victims of the tsunami.

Tsunami: the killer waves On 26 December, an Indian Ocean earthquake sent powerful tsunamis to Asia and Africa. Their impact was devastating. Whole communities lay crushed, villages flattened by the water. The toll: more than 200,000 dead or missing, and thousands more injured or homeless.

Indonesia was worst hit, but the tsunamis affected 2.3 million people in 12 countries. With thousands of holidaymakers also caught up in the disaster, the whole world was shocked, prompting fund-raising efforts worldwide in sympathy.

For the International Federation, the tsunami brought both challenges and responsibilities as it worked to provide immediate relief to those affected and plan to rehabilitate shattered livelihoods.

More than 22,000 Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers helped in the relief operation, backed by the International Federation’s disaster response tools, such as assessment teams and emergency response units.

In the first four months of the operation, the International Federation and National Societies delivered food, shelter and other relief items to 840,000 people, provided basic and specialized health care to over 107,000 people, and clean water and sanitation services to 144,000.

Combating HIV/AIDS in South Asia HIV and AIDS are spreading at an alarming rate in South Asia, where high levels of poverty and

Romulo M Godinez/Philippine National Red Cross

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Annual Report 2004 From the field

Based on analyses of proven interventions, needs and gaps, the strategy was developed through consultations with regional and country stakeholders, from governments to HIV support networks. The programmes will allow the Red Cross Red Crescent to tailor a common and cohesive approach to the cultural sensitivities of individual countries.

Community sanitation in Timor-Leste

population movements all increase the impact of the epidemic on vulnerable groups.

Realizing that strengthened commitment at country and regional levels is required to tackle this growing disaster, 2004 marked a turning point in the Red Cross Red Crescent response to HIV/AIDS in South Asia as National Societies formulated a long-term regional strategy for scaling-up their HIV/AIDS interventions.

The strategy comprises youth-peer education and life-skills development, volunteer blood donor recruitment, care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS and fighting stigma and discrimination.

The Philippine National Red Cross delivered essential supplies of food and hygiene items to families hit by floods.

Newly-recruited Red Cross volunteers provided technical support to construct 150 family latrines, while the work was carried out by members of the communities; this “buy-in� from the community increases the sustainability and maintenance of the facilities. The Red Cross also trained 50 village volunteers to visit families in their homes, offering advice on how to improve their health, hygiene and sanitation conditions.

Storms and landslides hit Philippines

International Federation

The Timor-Leste Red Cross Society ran communitybased water and sanitation projects in 2004, providing clean and safe water to some 1,500 people living in remote areas of the island, where water-borne diseases are one of the highest causes of death among small children.

Storms, typhoons, mudslides and landslides hit the Philippines in November, killing more than 1,000 people and affecting up to 3 million more as homes and agricultural land were ruined or damaged.

Volunteers distributed food, household items and shelter materials, and carried out community health work.

The Philippine National Red Cross was quick to respond, with relief kits and plans for evacuating people already prepared.

The International Federation support will fund water and sanitation projects, psychological support, food and rehabilitation for flood victims.

The Timor-Leste Red Cross Society provided safe drinking water to 1,500 people through community-based water and sanitation projects in 2004.

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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

First aid day

Fast response to train explosion

Many National Societies in Asia marked World First Aid Day on 11 September, with the theme of “First aid – a gesture of humanity which makes the difference”.

Kim Suk Hyang became a Red Cross volunteer when a train explosion tore apart her home town of Ryongchon in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Living under a tarpaulin shelter, she was impressed by the Red Cross volunteers who came to provide assistance despite having also lost homes and families, and decided to join them.

In Singapore, a Red Cross first aid competition was held, including simulations of an elderly man having a heart attack, welding machinists injured at work and youths burned by an out-of-control beach fire.

In the Philippines, more than 1,000 Red Cross volunteer first aiders and staff formed a human chain for help in Manila.

The explosion on 22 April killed 161 people and injured more than 1,300 as it obliterated the area around the station; 1,850 homes were destroyed and another 6,300 homes were damaged.

Led by local vice-chairperson Jong Kangson, 60, herself shaken herself by the disaster, the Red Cross Society of the DPRK reacted immediately to the disaster, establishing first aid posts and temporary shelters.

Volunteers distributed thousands of kitchen sets, blankets, water containers, tarpaulins, water purification tablets and first aid kits from a relief warehouse at nearby Sinuiju – one of six Red Cross disaster preparedness centres around the country.

International Federation

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The area around the railway station lies in ruins following an explosion in Ryonchon, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Once the emergency relief phase was over, the Red Cross focused on rebuilding the town’s health clinic and restoring its water supply. By the end of the year, many families had been rehoused by the government, while the International Federation and DPRK Red Cross continued to support them during the freezing winter months with clothing, shoes, quilts and coal.

Communities empowered to reduce risk Encouraging communities to run their own small risk reduction and health activities was the focus of a project in the Solomon Islands that helped communities empower themselves.

In April 2004, using the International Federation’s vulnerability and capacity assessment tool as a model, trained Red Cross volunteers began to identify local problems in three communities.

These included localized flooding and stagnant water, high incidence of diarrhoea and malaria, concerns about malnutrition, inadequate waste disposal and sanitation facilities.

The Solomon Islands Red Cross designed community projects to resolve these problems, and provided technical support while the villagers carried out the various activities. Giving communities ownership of the projects and providing tangible results in a short period of time were all key to the process.

In Western Province, a community-based health committee now oversees health education, organizes first aid training and ensures that water pipes and drainage sites are maintained properly. In Malaita Province, a drainage project not only improved hygiene in the area, but also brought together two different community groups, whose relationship was normally strained.

Communities empowering themselves was key to the project

Annual Report 2004 From the field

Europe and Central Asia Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS posed the greatest health threats in Europe and Central Asia as infection rates rose, while population movement and trafficking continued to present a grave humanitarian challenge, requiring advocacy for change at a high level as well as support on the ground to those at risk.

Rita Plotnikova/The Russian Red Cross Society

National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies rose to the challenge not only by responding to these issues, but also to other sudden emergencies that hit the region during the year, bringing relief and support to millions of people. The Beslan school hostage tragedy and Madrid train bombings were two examples where simply being there to support people provided great comfort.

“Take pictures, but please, do not ask us questions,” says this mother, whose son was injured in the tragic Beslan school siege, as they travel to Moscow for an operation.

In May, eight central European states joined the European Union, opening up new challenges – and opportunities – to Red Cross Societies. The International Federation’s secretariat worked with these Societies throughout 2004 to ease the transition with capacity-building initiatives.

Cooperating against the new slave trade Trafficking in people and migration continued to be a key issue across many parts of the region, with devastating consequences for communities. Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, is particularly hard hit, as traffickers sell migration as a dream, particularly to some of the most vulnerable people, including disadvantaged families, children and the disabled.

In 2004, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement helped put human trafficking at the top of the European agenda with the launch of its European Cooperation in Response to Human Trafficking initiative. This is an attempt to bring clarity and coherence to this complex area, by looking at how National Societies in both source and destination countries can better work together to reduce suffering and vulnerability.

The Red Cross Red Crescent’s nationwide community presence gives it a unique role to help reduce suffering by providing information and raising awareness of the risks of human trafficking.

Trafficking hotline in Bulgaria Forced prostitution, begging, forced labour and pornography; these are some of the risks facing potential victims of human trafficking in Bulgaria, which has become a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking across Europe.

To reduce the risk of trafficking, the Bulgarian Red Cross started a programme in November 2003, targeting the most vulnerable strata of society: young

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HIV/AIDS: prevention, care and dignity

people who are socially and economically disadvantaged or living in institutions; women aged 18–35 years, especially the unemployed; young Eighty per cent people from ethnic Roma comof people living munities; and victims of traffickwith HIV in the ing and their families. region are under

Young people are most at risk from HIV/AIDS as injecting drug use and unsafe sex continue to be the driving forces behind the growing epidemic in Europe and Central Asia. Eighty per cent of people living with HIV in the region are under 30 years old.

30 years old

The Red Cross manned telephone hotlines in four regions, providing information about the risks of trafficking and offering psychological counselling to victims of trafficking, their families and potential migrants.

Rita Plotnikova/The Russian Red Cross Society

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Red Cross Red Crescent work with young people has three main elements: prevention, care of people living with HIV/AIDS, and reducing the stigma and discrimination attached to those who have the illness.

Fifteen eastern and central European National Societies linked with the Italian Red Cross in a regional harm-reduction strategy to help injecting drug users lessen the harm they are exposed to.

It also ran a public information campaign, and a writing and drawing competition on the theme, “Trafficking in humans – the new slavery”, which received 100 entries. The Red Cross has trained 74 peer educators to conduct awareness-raising sessions at schools and social institutions; so far, they have reached 5,000 people.

International Federation

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The Ukrainian Red Cross Society pioneered a new care programme where nurses visit HIV-positive people in their homes and encourage them to make new circles of HIV-positive friends, to help counter any rejection from existing colleagues.

In Armenia, three films about HIV/AIDS prevention and drug abuse were produced in a partnership with local media, while information materials were distributed to the public to counter myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS transmission. Newlytrained volunteers talked to 25,000 people about AIDS awareness.

In neighbouring Azerbaijan, Red Crescent volunteers talked to 10,000 people about HIV and AIDS – including schoolchildren, students and sex workers.

Peer education is an important way to teach young people about the risks of HIV/AIDS in Europe, where the epidemic is growing.

A man squats by the wall of Beslan’s school gymnasium, grieving the victims of the siege.

Annual Report 2004 From the field

Ten years of humanity in Belarus

Caring for people with tuberculosis (TB) and trying to control the disease are a major part of Red Cross Red Crescent work in Russia and Central Asia, where the illness has reached epidemic proportions. “These people must not miss their pills and we must not miss the people,” says Russian Red Cross nurse Valentina Svetlova.

The Belarusian Red Cross’s charity house provides medico-social and psychological rehabilitation to single and destitute people suffering from chronic, difficult-to-treat Most people in diseases.

Beslan will need support with Established in 1994, the institution in words and the town of Pinsk offers three meals a human touch day, medical examinations and treatment, and psycho-emotional support to patients, refugees, homeless people and other people in desperate need. In 2004, some 200 people benefited from the care of the charity house, which has helped more than 1,700 people since it opened. People stay for an average of 30 days.

A study in 2004 in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan showed that 93 per cent of patients under the observation of Red Crescent nurses completed their course of treatment – essential to control the disease and prevent resistance to the drugs developing.

The Red Cross Red Crescent programmes use the DOTS (directly observed treatment, short-course) strategy, recommended by the World Health Organization, which is proving increasingly successful in combating TB and overcoming stigma towards those infected.

The lessons learned in Russia and Central Asia have been useful in emerging TB programmes elsewhere; the Romanian Red Cross is drawing on their expertise to develop its own approach to the illness. TB, a contagious, air-borne disease, kills an estimated 2 million people each year worldwide.

Support for school shooting tragedy The start of the school year, 1 September 2004 was a day of tragedy in the southern Russian town of Beslan, North Ossetia, as armed gunmen stormed a school, taking hundreds of children, teachers and

Sergei Jukov/International Federation

TB: we must not miss the people

parents hostage. By the end of the three-day siege, 350 lay dead and 600 more injured.

A team of Russian Red Cross psychologists, nurses and volunteers was on the scene within hours, helping the parents and relatives of those trapped in School Number 1 with food, water and psychological support. When the siege ended, they helped evacuate people who had survived, and went on to sort and distribute toys, clothes, sweets, games, school bags and stationery, donated in a huge outpouring of public compassion.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the International Federation appealed for funds for long-term psychosocial support programmes to help the community come to terms with its grief. “Most people in Beslan will need support with words and human touch, not with medicines or money. We will help them find the strength to cope with and overcome problems,” said International Federation psychologist Vacheslav Otchuk.

In Tajikistan, TB has killed five of this man’s children, and his five remaining children are infected with the disease.

Relief for Madrid bomb victims Some 900 volunteers from the Spanish Red Cross worked around the clock to assist victims of a series of rush-hour bomb attacks at railway stations in Madrid on 11 March. The bombings left 200 people dead and 1,400 injured.

First aid kits, body bags, stretchers, blankets and other relief items were made available from Red Cross stocks. Psychological support teams, each consisting of 16 members, came from all over Spain and helped at least 1,200 people, accompanying relatives and children to hospitals, mortuaries and at funerals.

The Spanish Red Cross also activated its international tracing system to assist families concerned about the fate of their loved ones, as people of at least 12 different nationalities were killed in the attacks.

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Middle East and North Africa The devastating earthquake which flattened the historic Iranian city of Bam at the end of 2003 was a major disaster response programme for the region during the year, with the relief phase lasting until April 2004, and rehabilitation continuing throughout the year.

The year 2004 was characterized by building networks in the Middle East and North Africa, which helped National Societies in the region to strengthen their capacities in disaster management, community first aid, HIV/AIDS and communications.

Christopher Black/International Federation

In Iraq, the Red Crescent showed a humanitarian face, as millions of people continued to suffer from the conflict in a country in turmoil.

Devastating earthquake in Bam Twelve seconds after an earthquake hit the historic Iranian city on 26 December 2003, Bam ceased to exist.

Homes, schools and health facilities were turned to piles of rubble. Communications and administrative infrastructure, electricity and water services were destroyed or badly damaged.

The toll: 26,000 dead, 30,000 injured and 75,600 left homeless – and it was the coldest time of the year.

The Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran mobilized 8,500 relief workers, medical staff and volunteers in the first few days. As well as searching for survivors, they helped provide temporary shelters, food and non-food relief items, emergency water supplies, medical services and psychological first aid.

Supported by an International Federation appeal, the Iranian Red Crescent ran a relief operation until April 2004, assisting 155,000 people with food, water, blankets, clothes, cooking sets and hygiene kits. Medical facilities treated 111,000 people, while water and sanitation facilities were provided for people living in temporary camps.

From May onwards, the focus switched to rehabilitation and long-term recovery, including reconstruction work and replenishing the Society’s disaster preparedness stocks.

The earthquake that destroyed the historic city of Bam killed 26,000 people and left thousands more injured or homeless.

Building networks for better performance National Societies built networks within the region during 2004 to strengthen their skills in core areas, a collaboration that demonstrated their increasing willingness to lead their own development.

Annual Report 2004 From the field

goods. They also provided psychosocial support to earthquake victims, especially children, by organizing activities and games each day.

work. The number of deaths due to AIDS in the region is increasing, with 92,000 people infected with HIV in 2004, according to UNAIDS.

Support for families in battle-torn Falluja

A new regional HIV/AIDS network was established so National Societies can share resources, knowledge, skills and ideas to better support people living with HIV/AIDS.

In September, the first HIV/AIDS network was launched in the region to deal with stigma and discrimination, mass media and communication, and advocacy and partnerships for people living with HIV/AIDS.

When dozens of families were trapped in the battletorn city of Falljua in November, the Iraqi Red Crescent Society was granted permission by the multinational forces to send in relief convoys and provide humanitarian assistance.

As a step towards mitigating disasters, national intervention teams were formed in Syria, Yemen and Morocco. A disaster management strategic framework was developed, linking policy and planning, logistics, risk reduction and intervention team development.

Three Red Crescent food and medical convoys entered Falluja carrying medicines, fresh food and other vital items into six neighbourhoods that had been selected and secured by the multinational forces, allowing the Red Crescent teams to work safely.

Tents for Moroccan earthquake survivors

The Red Crescent delivered fresh relief supplies three times a week to the city, buried the dead and evacuated the wounded to safe areas outside the ghost-town.

The Moroccan Red Crescent distributed tents and other relief supplies in February to survivors of a violent earthquake that left more than 600 people dead and 500 injured near Al-Hoceima, on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast.

Distributions were conducted from schools and mosques, as well as to families living in makeshift shelters near the rubble of their homes. A Red Crescent mobile clinic went from village to village, providing basic health care to people in remote areas, treating more than 350 patients in the first few weeks.

Some 1,200 survivors sought shelter in a tented camp managed by the Red Crescent in Im Zouren, where 200 volunteers distributed meals, food and other relief

Using the media to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS issues among young people has been highlighted as one way to help block the spread of the epidemic early on.

Harmonizing first aid The Middle East and North Africa region standardized its first aid training curriculum to integrate it with other programmes and priorities in health, disaster management, gender, youth and volunteer activities.

Using a review of the community-based first aid programme and lessons learned from other regions, a strategy for first aid in the region was developed and supported by a revised Arabic version of the manual First aid in the Community.

Working together to prevent HIV/AIDS Low HIV/AIDS prevalence in the Middle East and North Africa today does not mean low prevalence in the future. This was the motivation for 11 National Societies which met in Beirut in September to discuss the future implications of the global pandemic for their region.

Participants were updated on global and regional infection trends and programmes, and discussed strategies for HIV/AIDS. They heard an HIV-positive person talk about shortages of medicine, and how discrimination had forced him out of his home and his Iranian Red Crescent volunteers prepare tents to shelter some of the families left homeless by the Bam earthquake.

Christopher Black/International Federation

The year began when 15 National Using the media has been highlighted Societies created an information network to share experiences and strateas a way to help gies. Several Societies then ran workblock the spread of shops to train staff and volunteers to HIV/AIDS early on communicate better, and improve the public image of their Society.

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Strengthening capacities

Strong partnerships within the Red Cross Red Crescent with other humanitarian players and donors and with beneficiary groups are all important to the effective work of the International Federation.

Yoshi Shimizu/International Federation

Yoshi Shimizu/International Federation

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A strong network of trained volunteers is the backbone of all National Society activities. These Togolese volunteers are taught health and hygiene matters so they can advise families in their communities.

Annual Report 2004 Strengthening capacities

Capacity building Strategies and indicators

Building the capacities of National Societies so that they can provide effective humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people in their countries and promote the Fundamental Principles and humanitarian values of the Red Cross Red Crescent is core to the International Federation’s work.

The secretariat works to develop new tools and resources, assist in planning and evaluation techniques, and bring people together through workshops and training.

Supporting volunteers – the backbone of all Red Cross Red Crescent work – and recognizing the key role that young people have to play in the humanitarian field were priorities during the year.

It is important for any Red Cross or Red Crescent Society to have a clear strategic planning process to be able to deliver assistance effectively to its beneficiaries. In 2004, the International Federation developed new guidelines to help National Societies improve their planning according to their own vision and their own strategic approach to development.

To assist National Societies to measure their progress, capacity-building indicators were developed and tested in the field. The indicators provide clear measurements in the main areas of the established “characteristics of a well-functioning National Society” process, and can be used to develop plans and measure results.

Programmes cannot be run without money, and fund-raisers from 47 National Societies met in the Netherlands in October at the annual Skillshare workshop, sharing experiences and techniques, and identifying fund-raising targets.

New direction in Myanmar In the last two years, the Myanmar Red Cross Society has turned itself around, with a real shift in attitude, capacity, programme development and effective operations, thanks to invigorated governance and management, supported by the International Federation and donor Societies.

Its national headquarters was fully reorganized, with new managers appointed, which led to improved communications with the branches.

Training courses were streamlined, and a new approach to community-based health and disaster

preparedness programmes was developed. As a result, the Society was well prepared when a deadly cyclone hit the country in May, providing assistance to 25,000 people.

Grants from funds More than 50 National Societies benefited from grants during 2004 from the International Federation’s Capacity Building Fund and the Empress Shôken Fund, a Japanese fund founded in 1912 to support Red Cross Red Crescent activities.

The Capacity Building Fund moved from short-term grants towards a focus on multi-year support for organizational change and longer-term capacitybuilding projects, and supported knowledge sharing between Societies on their experiences.

The Myanmar Red Cross Society has The 2004 allocation of the turned itself around Empress Shôken Fund went to ten National Societies to support a wide range of small-scale projects, including a small warehouse in Liberia for storing relief goods, a boat for disaster preparedness in Tonga, and a kindergarten in Morocco.

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Principles and values Reducing discrimination and promoting values Humanitarian values and reducing discrimination are not areas of work that exist in isolation. Taking this into account, 32 National Societies used activities on gender, health and population movement as ways to address issues related to reducing discrimination in the community.

Christopher Black/International Federation

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Fighting stigma and discrimination was central to Red Cross Red Crescent HIV/AIDS campaigns in 2004.

An information pack on Action to Reduce Discrimination was updated as a tool for National Societies, incorporating information on human rights, training tools, guidelines on developing case studies, a mapping exercise of existing programmes, sharing of lessons learned and updated guidelines for field programmes.

With the theme for World Red Cross Red Crescent Day on 8 May of “Stop Discrimination”, the International Federation used the occasion to remind National Societies to work with their governments to combat stigma and discrimination and take active measures to promote tolerance and respect for cultural diversity.

A group of experts on intolerance and discrimination met with representatives from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in December to share their experiences in social psychology, multicultural education, academic research and international human rights.

They discussed aspects of Red Cross Red Crescent programmes related to discrimination and adopted a framework for action.

Many events were staged by the 181 member National Societies drawing attention to the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and the specific vulnerabilities of minorities and other marginalized groups.

Support for pygmy minorities

The From Principles to Action CD-ROM, 10,000 copies of which have been ordered since it was produced in 2002, was updated in 2004, with texts available in Arabic, French and Spanish as well as English.

The contents of the CD help people apply the Red Cross Red Crescent’s Fundamental Principles and humanitarian values to their actions and work.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Red Cross is using a community approach to help minority pygmies reduce the discrimination they face from non-pygmy communities; intermarriage between pygmies and Bantus is banned, and housing and restaurants are separate. In 2004, 30 pygmy volunteers were integrated into the Red Cross in Mbandaka, where they work alongside Bantus.

Fighting discrimination on 8 May

RespectED in Canada

Non-discrimination and respect for diversity, the themes of the International Federation’s pledge at the 2003 International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, were a driving force for strengthened action by National Societies and the International Federation to challenge discrimination in their work and their surroundings.

Abuse, neglect, unhealthy relationships, bullying and harrassment of young people are some of the areas tackled by Canadian Red Cross Society volunteers in a programme called RespectED. Trained educators run interactive workshops at schools and youth organizations on subjects such as “It’s not your fault” and “What’s love got to do with it?”.

Annual Report 2004 Strengthening capacities

Volunteering and youth The importance of volunteering Promoting volunteering was identified as a priority at the 2003 General Assembly, and to help National Societies to increase and motivate their volunteer base, a working group on volunteering was set up in 2004. National Society representatives also attended a seminar that developed a plan of action for 2005.

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Around the world, National Societies are developing innovative ways to recruit and use volunteers. Some examples are: n Togo – A decentralized system of volunteer management and coaching has developed a strong network of volunteers, especially women, who visit homes, offering a wide range of health and

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hygiene advice and support. More than 200 coaches manage the recruitment, training, supervision and motivation of almost 2,600 community volunteers.

Norway – Red Cross volunteers are befriending immigrants and refugees on a one-to-one basis to help them integrate into Norwegian society. The volunteer “guides” introduce the refugees into their social circle and help them learn the local language, reducing loneliness, cultural exclusion and racism.

Romania – The mountainous region of Harghita was chosen for a programme to help minority Roma communities change their lives through a participatory community development programme. Red Cross volunteers join communities to encourage them to share skills and resources to improve their living conditions.

National Society youth activities during the year included the following: n In Honduras, Red Cross youth volunteers are trying to reduce the impact of an increasing level of juvenile violence across the country through peer education programmes which aim to rehabilitate the most vulnerable of the young, including drug addicts and street children, and break the “gang mentality”. Volunteers organize cultural activities and training, and work with street children, teaching them literacy, training, first aid, reproductive health education and the risks of hallucinogenic drugs. n In Lebanon, volunteers from the youth section of the Lebanese Red Cross visit young inmates at prisons on a regular basis to monitor their situation and provide them with necessities such as toiletries and blankets.

Young people are valuable partners

Christopher Black/International Federation

Youth leaders from 27 National Societies met in Spain in September with International Federation governance members to discuss how young people can contribute more significantly to the future of the International Federation by being more integrated into management and governance structures, as active and valued partners.

The International AIDS Conference in Bangkok gave these young participants new confidence and ideas for their future HIV/AIDS programmes.

The meeting resulted in the Tarragona Agreement and recommendations as to how to better implement youth participation in decision-making at national, regional and international levels. The Governing Board urged National Societies to include young people in their delegations to the General Assembly.

Youth leaders were also encouraged participate in the “Our Federation of the Future” process.

New focus for Thai youth The Thai Red Cross Society has revitalized its youth department, reshaping its image to appeal to a wider membership with new and relevant programmes.

The Society has revisited its structure, approach and programmes, which have become more diverse to appeal to boys as well as girls, Thai Red Cross and to university students and schoolyouth has reshaped leavers as well as younger members. its image to appeal to more volunteers Youth volunteers now work at community level, visiting schools, villages and prisons with programmes as diverse as health education, recreation, personal hygiene, environment protection, and dissemination of international humanitarian law.

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Cooperation Reviewing Strategy 2010 The year 2004 saw a mid-term review of Strategy 2010, the ten-year strategy that has been guiding the work of the International Federation and its members since 2000.

A review team met with National Societies, partner organizations and other bodies, holding workshops and using questionnaires to identify areas that worked well in the strategy, and issues for improvement. Financial statements, Governing Board decisions and ten country case studies were also assessed, along with a multi-country thematic evaluation of health and care programmes.

The review will lay the foundations for a results system that will help the International Federation measure its success and plan its interventions more effectively to achieve the goals of Strategy 2010. Recommendations from the review will also feed into the “Our Federation of the Future” exercise (see page 23).

Strategy 2010 aims to create well-functioning National Societies, who work together effectively and deliver responsive and focused programmes, concentrating on four core areas: disaster response, disaster preparedness, health and community services, and promoting humanitarian principles and values.

Managing cooperation through CAS Building the capacity of National Societies to manage their own cooperation with external partners was the focus of a new direction for the Cooperation Agreement Strategy (CAS) process in 2004.

Governance The International Federation worked closely with several National Societies to better define CAS with more focus on the perspectives and needs of the membership. It integrated new areas into CAS, such as power management – how to recognize an imbalance in power between the different partners, how this affects a relationship and how to redress the imbalance.

Nine National Societies launched CAS processes in 2004, bringing to 30 the total working with the strategy.

Cooperation with the ICRC The International Federation and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) collaborated in 2004 in many areas, including capacity building and leadership training, public relations and seeking more effective management of logistics. New initiatives included a joint legal advisors meeting.

Senior managers from the two organizations met to analyse global trends that affect the humanitarian environment and their consequences for the Red Cross Red Crescent.

At field level, the International Federation and ICRC increased their collaboration in disaster situations around security, communications, working with National Societies and establishing common memoranda of understanding. Field delegations also made a greater effort in areas of joint planning, analysis, programming and training.

Guiding policies and actions The main role for governance in 2004 was to drive and guide the “Our Federation of the Future” process and to ensure that the outcomes of the International Conference and General Assembly held in December 2003 were transmitted into the action and planning processes of both the secretariat and National Societies.

The Governing Board, which met in April and October, also approved 2004–2005 workplans from the International Federation’s commissions: Youth, Development, Disaster Relief, and Health and Community Services.

In what was financially a challenging year for the International Federation, the Board monitored developments as the secretariat implemented a restructuring process, emerging financially stronger by the end of the year.

To strengthen volunteering in the International Federation, the Board created a working group on volunteering, which will guide the organization in implementing its volunteer policy and emphasize the role that volunteering plays across all sectors of work.

The secretariat continued to support National Societies in their legal base. Some 70 National Societies were in the process of revising their statutes during 2004, with a joint International FederationICRC commission for National Society statutes available to support them.

Annual Report 2004 Strengthening capacities

Developing a policy on integrity For the Red Cross Red Crescent, potential integrity issues could include violation of the Fundamental Principles, political interference, issues related to leadership or financial management and integrity of individuals related to use of resources and programme delivery.

Legal advisors from 69 National Societies met at an integrity workshop in November and developed a draft policy on the protection of integrity. The participants discussed types of integrity issues that could arise in the International Federation or a National Society, the best way to address such issues and how to help National Societies improve their integrity.

environment will impact on needs and vulnerability and affect the work of the Red Cross Red Crescent. The process will help the organization realign and adapt to the changing environment in which it works in order to have a greater impact in the world.

Since the 2003 General Assembly, where the process was endorsed, some 1,500 people from National Societies have participated in the consultations.

Several reviews and studies were also incorporated into the process. The results were integrated into two discussion papers: one analysing the external trends

facing the International Federation; and a second that examines the internal situation of the organization, and identifies areas for improvement for the International Federation.

The inputs will be brought together in a renewed vision for the International Federation and an agenda for action to be adopted by the 2005 General Assembly.

Building a Federation for the future

Marko Kokic/International Federation

In a dynamic and changing world, how can the International Federation remain responsive, flexible and effective both today and for the decades to come? This is the underlying question posed by the “Our Federation of the How can the Future” process.

International Federation remain Although the International Federation responsive, flexible and its 181 member National Societies and effective? provide support and assistance to millions of vulnerable people around the world, the humanitarian context and environment are constantly changing, presenting new challenges for the organization to meet its mission.

“Our Federation of the Future” is a two-year, participatory consultation process that seeks to build a broad understanding of how changes in the external The International Federation is examining how it can remain responsive in a changing environment, so it can continue to assist vulnerable people, such as this family who lost their home in floods in Haiti.

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International Federation

Building relationships Marko Kokic/International Federation

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Cooperation between National Societies, the International Federation and the International Committee of the Red Cross created an effective response when floods hit Haiti during a period of social unrest.

The Moroccan, Iranian and Turkish Red Crescent Societies work together to deliver food parcels to victims of an earthquake in north-east Morocco.

Annual Report 2004 Building relationships

Advocacy Speaking out for humanitarian values

they increasingly operate, the International Federation developed a Protocol Handbook in 2004.

The International Federation used key meetings and events to promote the interests of its membership and place its core values and issues onto the international humanitarian agenda.

From partnerships with international non-governmental organizations and community groups on the ground to strong relationships with donors and the media, working together effectively helps the International Federation achieve its mission to support the world’s most vulnerable people.

The World Disasters Report, published annually by the International Federation, is becoming a key advocacy tool for an increasing number of National Societies, who use its launch to promote humanitarian issues in their country.

Red Cross Red Crescent representatives spoke at conferences and the UN General Assembly – where the International Federation has permanent observer status – on topics such as health, disaster management, volunteering and capacity building.

A total of 64 National Societies held a national launch for the 2004 report, which focused on community resilience, with 13 Societies translating the report into their local language. Some also used the report for advocacy in direct meetings with their governments.

The 2004 report looked at how aid organizations can strengthen, rather than undermine, local capacities to cope during both sudden and slow-onset disasters.

The International Federation joined UN discussions on how to progress the UN’s Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty by 2015, and on how civil society could contribute to economic and social development.

Senior National Society personnel are increasingly encouraged to represent the International Federation on the international scene, demonstrating to governments and humanitarian partners the strength of the International Federation’s network. For example, the Austrian Red Cross, hosting a new International Federation office in Vienna for representation to the UN agencies based there, spoke about human trafficking to the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

Farooq Berny/International Federation

For the International Federation, building relationships and partnerships both within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and with external actors is key to improving the effectiveness of its programmes and spreading its humanitarian messages and beliefs.

World Disasters Report

As a result of advocacy initiatives, references to the International Federation priorities were included in UN resolutions and other international decisions and reports.

To help National Societies fit more comfortably into the intergovernmental framework in which Advocacy helps the International Federation spread its humanitarian messages on behalf of vulnerable people.

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Communications Advocating for a healthier future

Spanish Red Cross

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It argued that a developmental approach to creating disaster resilience is needed, putting communities in charge of defining their own needs and solutions.

There was a strong public interest in the report, which in return, gave National Societies good visibility as it highlighted local capacities on the ground, where the Red Cross Red Crescent has a comparative advantage with its link to communities.

Towards an additional emblem The International Federation continued to support the creation of an additional emblem which will allow National Societies who cannot use the red cross or red crescent to become full members of the International Federation. Pending the diplomatic conferences required to complete this process, the International Federation supported the participation of the Israeli National Society, the Magen David Adom, in International Federation activities, such as training courses and disaster management activities.

To mark World First Aid Day, National Societies organized a wide variety of events to promote the importance of first aid in saving lives.

The International Federation and National Societies advocate on many health issues each year, working to bring about a greater understanding of how to change things for the better. This can take the form of campaigns, events, speeches and activities. Some of the main topics in 2004 were: n HIV/AIDS discrimination – World AIDS Day on 1 December was a focal date to promote the International Federation’s anti-stigma campaign to dispel myths and end the discrimination faced by people living with HIV/AIDS. n Blood donors – National Societies used World Blood Donor Day to promote the importance of voluntary blood donation and encourage people to become regular blood donors. n Road safety – European National Societies, who campaign each year to save lives on their roads, focused in 2004 on children aged 7 to 10, and reached 750,000 children. n Malaria – Under the theme “A Malaria-Free Future”, Africa Malaria Day on 25 April was used to raise awareness of how to prevent malaria. n World First Aid Day – On 11 September, more than 110 National Societies organized activities to promote the importance of first aid in saving lives. n Polio eradication – African National Societies supported immunization days in countries where polio is still a problem, working at community level.

HIV/AIDS: campaigning against stigma More than 60 National Societies actively campaigned in 2004 against stigma and discrimination for people living with HIV/AIDS, as part of their work to promote humanitarian values and protect human dignity.

Key dates such as World Red Cross Red Crescent Day (8 May) and World AIDS Day (1 December) provided opportunities for raising awareness and the media profile, as well as showing solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS. In the third year of the campaign “The truth about AIDS. Pass it on...”, a major focus was encouraging National Societies to work with the “stamps” campaign resources. Following the production of stamp images in 2003 dispelling myths and fears which fuel HIVrelated stigma, four new stamps were developed in 2004, conveying the truths about HIV transmission.

National Societies and International Federation delegations from the Americas, Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Africa strengthened their collaboration with groups of people living with HIV/AIDS through agreements and joint workplans.

Four “stamp” posters supported the HIV/AIDS campaign in 2004.

Annual Report 2004 Building relationships

Saleh M. Dabbakeh/International Federation

Partnerships FedNet: sharing information online FedNet, the International Federation’s new extranet, allowed secretariat staff, delegates and National Societies to share information on a broad range of topics through the electronic platform of a membership web site.

Communicating at all levels Disasters such as the Beslan school hostage tragedy, the Bam earthquake and the Asian tsunami generated high public and media interest in 2004. International Federation and National Society information personnel worked with the media and through the Internet to deliver timely and reliable information about the Red Cross Red Crescent response to these and other disasters.

Not all humanitarian issues hit the mainstream media and the International Federation acts as the voice of vulnerable people worldwide, using communications channels to tell their stories and to encourage support from the public, donors and governments for humanitarian programmes to alleviate their suffering.

Red Cross Red Crescent information personnel worked with the media at international, national and local levels during the year to ensure transparency of International Federation programmes and a consistent understanding among the public of its humanitarian beliefs.

The web site www.ifrc.org is the International Federation’s window to the outside world, providing real-time news and reports as they are published on humanitarian programmes in all regions.

The Algerian Red Crescent hosted the Pan African Conference, where the importance of partnerships was identifed.

Tools and policies on major programme areas, communications from the secretary general and preparatory material for meetings were just some of the materials posted to FedNet during its first full year since its December 2003 launch.

On a technical level, the system was expanded to assist National Societies in sharing their own information with other users.

By the end of 2004, FedNet was established as a valuable tool for delivering information from the International Federation’s secretariat, and in 2005 will work towards its broader objective: to become a platform for sharing knowledge across the whole Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

Reaching Arabic speakers To increase support given to Arabic-speaking Red Crescent Societies, many documents and training materials were published in Arabic in 2004. These included the Sphere Project guide, a regional community-based first aid manual, and the Communications Guide. The regional delegation in Amman published the newsletter Al-Ittihad for the fourth year, helping National Societies to exchange experiences and knowledge.

Partnerships between the Red Cross Red Crescent and external actors – from United Nations agencies to local community groups – greatly enhance the quality of humanitarian programmes. Both players can share skills and expertise and draw on each other’s technical and financial resources and project infrastructures: a complementary approach to effective programming.

In 2004, the International Federation signed partnership arrangements with the World Food Programme and United Nations Volunteers, which will assist National Societies in their work nationally with these organizations. It also began working on a similar agreement with the World Health Organization.

Health partnerships for lasting change In the health field, the International Federation continued to build partnerships with regional and international institutions for lasting change in its health interventions and responses. These included: n UNAIDS – New initiatives to decrease stigma and discrimination further the International Federation’s role as a UNAIDS collaborating centre. n Measles Initiative – The International Federation’s annual measles and polio appeal enabled eight National Societies to mobilize communities for measles campaigns in Africa. n STOP TB partnership – As a member of the Stop TB (tuberculosis) coordination board, the International Federation represents non-governmental organizations and technical agencies. n A partnership with ExxonMobil enabled the Angola Red Cross to distribute 16,000 mosquito nets and educate communities in the fight against malaria.

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World Health Organization – The International Federation joined the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and its Health Action in Crises programme.

Danish Red Cross – A International Federation Reference Centre for Psychological Support was developed with the Danish Red Cross to assist interested National Societies.

Togo – The International Federation and Togolese Red Cross joined a health initiative in Togo to fight four childhood illness, involving more than 30 partner organizations.

to their constituents, donors and beneficiaries.

Promotes the integration of its Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response into agencies’ policies and programmes.

In 2004, Sphere users gave overwhelming support for the continuation of the project. www.sphereproject.org n

A training initiative to enhance the refugee protection knowledge of non-governmental organizations and Red Cross Red Crescent staff.

Offers humanitarian actors the chance to analyse and improve the way their activities can better safeguard the physical, material and legal entitlements of refugees. During 2004, the project trained 340 people and produced training modules, CDs and booklets. www.reachout.ch

Building inter-agency partnerships The International Federation is increasingly strengthening its partnerships with other agencies and projects, building synergies and sharing experiences. The International Federation’s secretariat hosts the following independent projects, and along with National Societies, it supports and promotes their goals and missions: n

Global Road Safety Partnership

Brings together governments, development funding organizations, the private sector and civil society groups to address road safety problems in low-income and middle-income countries.

Highlights in 2004 included a study on the impact of road crashes on the poor and events worldwide to support the launch of the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention. www.grsproadsafety.org n

The Sphere Project

Aims to improve the quality of assistance given to people affected by disasters, and improve the accountability of states and humanitarian agencies

The Reach Out Project

n

ProVention Consortium

A global partnership dedicated to reducing the impacts of disasters in developing countries by forging partnerships and collaborative action between different players: humanitarian, development, academic, government and private sectors.

Highlights in 2004 included an international conference with the insurance industry on disaster risk management and publication of the Disaster Risk Hotspots report. www.proventionconsortium.org

Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) SCHR is an alliance for voluntary action of nine major international humanitarian organizations

including the International Federation. A forum for sharing knowledge, it supports humanitarian policy development and interacts with the UN system. In 2003–2004, a peer review process on protection from sexual abuse and exploitation continued members’ learning on humanitarian standards.

Legal preparation for disasters In 2004, the international disaster response law programme ran a pilot study on the roles and impact of legal frameworks and disaster management systems at a national level, building on previous assessments at an international level.

A study of the legal, policy and planning frameworks of Nepal, Myanmar, Indonesia and Fiji identified past and potential legal challenges and best practices.

It found that legal arrangements for international disaster response remain ad hoc and lack the support of a clear and coherent legal framework.

The project involved studying the national systems, laws and practices that impact on international disaster response operations, reading legal documents and holding workshops and consultations with national authorities, the Red Cross Red Crescent and nongovernmental organizations.

The programme advocated for “legal preparedness”, encouraging governments and organizations to identify and resolve in advance potential legal challenges that could delay international assistance, such as customs or tax issues on importing relief goods.

The Sphere Project

Annual Report 2004 Building relationships

Resource mobilization

Amount sought by type of appeal (in million Swiss francs) Earthquakes 190.0 Socio-economic 136.5 Mixed regional programmes 52.1 Floods and cyclones 46.4 Health and care 14.6 General assistance 10.8 Food security 7.0 General relief 5.9 Population movement 5.4 Other disasters 3.6 Total 472.3

Amount sought by region (in million Swiss francs) Asia and the Pacific Africa Americas Europe and Central Asia Middle East and North Africa Multi-regional Total

264.9 93.3 38.7 31.4 17.5 26.5 472.3

Contributions as of end-March 2005 received for appeals launched in 2004

Mobilizing long-term resources

Donor consortium

The International Federation planning for development and disaster programmes is becoming increasingly long term, yet funding has traditionally come from short-term budget lines with limited financial commitment that makes it hard to plan sustainable operations.

A consortium of European donors helped fund a programme of home-based care, prevention of HIV and AIDS, advocacy and support for orphans in southern Africa as National Societies embarked on an unprecedented drive towards scaling up efforts to alleviate suffering caused by the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

In a bid to secure more predictable funding for longterm projects, the International Federation is working directly with some 40 National Societies, government agencies, international institutions and the corporate sector.

In 2004, several partnerships were established to engage longer-term funding. The Australian Red Cross set up a partnership with its government worth 4.4 million Swiss francs over five years for Red Cross programmes in the Pacific, and the secretariat established a two-year partnership with the Irish government with a focus on Africa and the secretariat’s core functions.

At the 6th Pan African Conference in Algiers, African National Societies had opportunities to engage in a direct dialogue with companies such as Shell, Total, DHL, UNILEVER, Ericsson and NestlĂŠ.

The Swedish International Development Agency, the Netherlands embassy and the Irish Development Cooperation formed a small consortium of donors supporting the home-based care initiative from 2002 to 2007, worth a total of 14 million Swiss francs for programmes across ten countries in southern Africa.

Marko Kokic/International Federation

Voluntary funding for emergencies and programmes

In 2004, 24 National Societies, six government agencies and two foundations together contributed 10.1 million Swiss francs to support part of the core budget needed to run the secretariat and its 14 regional delegations.

The International Federation is seeking more long-term funding for its projects.

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Finances The International Federation received cash contributions of 201 million Swiss francs plus in-kind donations worth 50 million francs in response to its annual and emergency appeals for its voluntary-funded programmes in 2004.

Total programme expenditure during the year was 179 million francs, leaving a balance of 22 million to be carried forward to 2005.

The basic infrastructure cost of running the secretariat was 44.9 million francs during the year – 4.4 million below budget and well below the 2003 level of 57.1 million. This reflects a change in the organizational structure with reductions in staff levels, started in 2003 and completed in 2004.

Rationalization and tight cost control led to a surplus of 3.2 million francs, which was credited to reserves.

The International Federation’s financial statements are audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers SA. The full document, including the notes that form an integral part of these financial statements, can be found on the International Federation’s web site at www.ifrc.org/annualreport

The International Federation’s financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Swiss law and generally accepted accounting principles. Cash contributions are recognized when received. The value of inkind goods is not included in the income and expenditure statement.

The International Federation is on schedule to be fully compliant with International Financial Reporting Standards for the accounting year 2005, a process launched in 2002.

The International Federation received contributions worth 251 million Swiss francs for its field programmes in 2004.

Olav Saltbones/Norwegian Red Cross

Annual Report 2004 Finances

Balance sheet as at 31 December

Assets Current assets Bank current accounts Short-term deposits Accrued interest income Inventories Accounts receivable: National Societies Advances to employees Other receivables and advances

2004 CHF*

2003 CHF

11,811,257 36,637,555 308,931 421,856

15,101,347 12,671,910 509,338 609,250

8,967,932 675,259 1,947,666 60,770,456

9,245,026 600,631 3,100,295 41,837,797

61,748,637 2,922,052

63,680,555 4,648,131

100,000 745,860 -745,860 125,541,145

100,000 691,920 -691,920 110,266,483

7,331,671 0 11,691,134 2,091,256 21,114,061

11,508,524 3,500,000 12,624,346 2,297,263 29,930,133

Funds held for operations Less amounts expended to be received

107,543,476 -12,000,397 95,543,079

87,931,300 - 14,153,359 73,777,941

Reserves

8,884,005 125,541,145

6,558,409 110,266,483

Marketable securities Fixed assets Other assets Investment in the Foundation for the International Federation Loan to South African Red Cross less provision Liabilities, funds and reserves Current liabilities Accounts payable and accrued expenses Short-term loans Provisions National Societies

* Swiss francs

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Statement of income and expenditure for the year ended 31 December Basic infrastructure 2004 CHF

Programme 2004 CHF

Total 2004 CHF

Total 2003 CHF

23,630,686

0

23,630,686

23,919,299

7,409,870 1,367,157 1,477,538 33,885,251

142,599,021 17,098,250 33,784,839 193,482,110

150,008,891 18,465,407 35,262,377 227,367,361

130,860,234 20,119,558 39,075,573 213,974,664

1,290,036 145,490 35,320,777

1,933,261 5,683,054 201,098,425

3,223,297 5,828,544 236,419,202

3,239,255 5,808,520 223,022,439

0 551,265

12,086,374 591,874

12,086,374 1,143,139

15,947,606 1,914,490

209 205,628 25,427 34,093,769 276,513 2,761,034 1,045,367 3,406,414 526,169 2,055,156

39,723,591 11,618,484 8,770,048 54,826,401 12,720,499 10,961,511 5,423,699 9,041,663 1,732,717 -985,985

39,723,800 11,824,112 8,795,475 88,920,170 12,997,012 13,722,545 6,469,066 12,448,077 2,258,886 1,069,171

49,862,373 18,383,614 10,869,810 101,204,397 10,868,692 16,984,906 9,096,479 13,970,804 2,779,691 1,234,459

Total expenditure

44,946,951

166,510,876

211,457,827

253,117,321

Programme support

-12,822,412 32,124,539

12,822,412 179,333,288

0 211,457,827

0 253,117,321

3,196,238 0 3,196,238

0 21,765,137 21,765,137

3,196,238 21,765,137 24,961,375

-3,457,050 -26,637,832 -30,094,882

Income Statutory contributions Voluntary contributions received from: National Societies Governments and government agencies Others Other income Investment income Miscellaneous income Total income Expenditure Contributions to National Societies Contributions to other organizations Expenditure incurred by the International Federation: Relief supplies Transportation and storage Capital equipment Personnel Workshops and training Travel and communications Information Administration, office and general Depreciation Project deficit provision/(write off )

Surplus/Deficit of income versus expenditure for the year Increase/Decrease in operational funds for the year

Annual Report 2004 Annual review

The Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Humanity

Independence

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavours, in its international and national capacity, to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.

The Movement is independent. The National Societies, while auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and subject to the laws of their respective countries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance with the principles of the Movement.

Voluntary service It is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain.

Impartiality It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavours to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.

Unity

Neutrality

Universality

In order to continue to enjoy the confidence of all, the Movement may not take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in which all Societies have equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other, is worldwide.

There can be only one Red Cross or one Red Crescent Society in any one country. It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory.

This annual report is also available in Arabic, French and Spanish.

For further information, please contact: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies PO Box 372 CH-1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 730 4222 Fax: +41 22 733 0395 E-mail: secretariat@ifrc.org Web site: www.ifrc.org Printed in Italy by Musumeci 07/2005 E 4,500

ISBN: 92-9139-113-1 Photo credits Back cover: Yoshi Shimizu/International Federation Page 1: Jorge Perez/International Federation Pages 2 and 3: January: Christopher Black/International Federation; February: Rana Sidani/International Federation; May: Fadi Abboud/International Federation; June: Fredrik Barkenhammar/German Red Cross; July: Christopher Black/ International Federation; August: John Sparrow/International Federation; September: SĂŠbastien Calmus/International Federation; November: Rosemarie North/International Federation

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PROTECTING HUMAN DIGNITY

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies promotes the humanitarian activities of National Societies among vulnerable people.

By coordinating international relief and encouraging development support it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

The International Federation, the National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.