Regional training to strengthen response to humanitarian needs held in Beirut

In an effort to support the development of the Red Crescent and Red Cross National Societies in the Middle East and North Africa Region, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) held a Regional Movement Induction Course in Beirut, Lebanon.

The course, which was organized together with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), aimed to strengthen the capacity of the leaders of National Societies in order to improve their response to the humanitarian needs in their respective countries.

The course is the first of its kind and hosted 13 members of the Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies from across the region who shared one goal: to provide humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable. It provided the participants with a strategic vision of the role of the National Society within the global, regional and local contexts.

“Through effective communication and cooperation, we can better serve those affected by conflict or national disasters,” said Dr. Osama Bokhrais Al-Shuaibi, the head of the international relations department in the Libyan Red Crescent, adding: “We are all part of the same movement and this cooperation is the key to a better humanitarian response.”

 Another participant, Forkan Qais, a member of the administrative board of the Iraqi Red Crescent echoed Dr. Al-Shuaibi’s thoughts, saying: “Throughout this training we were aiming to set clear strategies and were working in a large humanitarian team and as such we were viewing our tasks through the fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.”

Rahaf Abboud, another participant and the head of communication in the Syrian Arab Red Crescent concluded by describing the training as an opportunity to enhance the skills picked up in their experience with their respective National Societies, thereby “enriching the entire Movement and contributing to the strategies of the coming years.”