[CivilSoc] ICRC: Two new Red Cross Societies admitted to the International Federation

[Felix Corley]

From: <misuri@ifrc.org>
To: "News Releases - English" <newsrelease@lyris.ifrc.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 3:40 PM
Subject: [newsrelease] News Release 77
                                                     Geneva 7 November 2001
Two new Red Cross Societies admitted to the International Federation
The  Red  Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Red Cross Society
of  the  Republic  of  Moldova were admitted today as a full members to the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.  This was
decided  unanimously at the Federation's General Assembly currently meeting
in Geneva.
"Both  of  these countries are shining examples of how our Movement unites,
and  brings  peace  and  cooperation.  After  this  General  Assembly,  our
International  Federation will count 178 National Societies, and eight more
are  Societies  in formation", said Dr Astrid Heiberg, the president of the
International Federation
Officially  established  in  December 2000, the Red Cross Society of Bosnia
and  Herzegovina  is an umbrella organization composed of two entities, the
Red  Cross of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Red Cross of
Republika  Srpska.  The National Society implements programmes that include
health,  home and community care, youth development, disaster preparedness,
mine awareness, tracing and the promotion of humanitarian values.
Ms.  Adela  Skaro,  current chairman of the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and
Herzegovina,  voiced her Society's joy at being admitted as a member to the
Federation.   She  reiterated the National Society's commitment to help the
most  vulnerable  and  expressed  the  hope that other organizations in the
country  would  follow suit to help build a new civil society in Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
The  Red  Cross  Society  of  Moldova  was  established in 1924, within the
structure  of  the  Red  Cross  of  the  Soviet  Union.  It  was officially
recognized  by  the  ICRC  on  October 24, 2001.  It currently has some 450
active  volunteers and 170,000 paying members.  Its main activities include
visiting  nurses  programmes  and  health  care  for  the  elderly  and the
destitute,  as  well  as  tuberculosis  and  HIV/AIDS  prevention.  It also
distributes  relief  items  to the most vulnerable and carries out disaster
preparedness training at the community level.
Mrs  Larisa  Byrca, President of the Red Cross Society of Moldova expressed
"great  joy  and  emotion"  on  behalf  of  her National Society.  She said
recognition was an "historical event for the entire population who put hope
in  the  action of the National Society" and added the Red Cross of Moldova
would pursue its efforts to extend its humanitarian activities.
For  further  information, or to arrange interviews (ISDN  LINE AVAILABLE),
please contact:
Marie-Fran�oise  Borel,  Information Officer               Tel.: +41 22 730
4346/ + 41 79 217 3345
The  Federation,  National Societies and the International Committee of the
Red  Cross together constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement.  For further information on Federation activities, please see our
web site: www.ifrc.org