Representatives of Red Crescent and Red Cross societies, the juggernauts of international humanitarian aid work, came together in Georgia's Tbilisi for a three-day event that started on Tuesday. The European regional conference of the societies, a quadrennial event, will focus on the response to ongoing crises with a spotlight on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The 11th edition of the event brings together 53 societies who sent their delegates to Tbilisi, while some will join online discussions. Kerem Kınık, head of the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), is attending the event both as Turkish society's representative and as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent's vice president.
The humanitarian crisis occurring on the regional and global scale and the review of how Red Cross and Red Crescent societies are coping with the growing humanitarian needs as well as the in-depth analysis of ways and methods of response delivery are the themes of the meeting. The findings regarding the Europe region’s priorities and plans will be discussed at the Red Cross Red Crescent movement statutory meetings in June in Geneva, Switzerland.
The effects of the Ukrainian crisis on the neighboring countries, particularly concerning matters of migration and displacement and the conflict now ongoing for three months, are being considered as the special agenda of the event.
After his opening speech, Kınık pointed to the humanitarian plight taking place in Ukraine, stating that more than 10 million people have already been displaced and more than 5 million people have fled to neighboring countries. Kınık said: “One out of eight people is now displaced. The conflict has left families torn apart, forced them to abandon their homes and leave on trains and impacted their overall wellbeing. I have seen the devastating consequences of the war in Ukraine and neighboring countries. I hope this conflict will end immediately and people can return back to their homes to unite with their families safely and in a dignified way.” Kınık also emphasized the similar situation in Syria where 500,000 people lost their lives and millions took refuge in the neighboring countries as the result of the years of conflict, making displacement the main topic in the region.
Kınık also said another issue that requires attention among humanitarian organizations was climate change. “Climate change is another serious crisis we are facing. The record-breaking heat waves are scorching the forests. While droughts are becoming more common, floods and tornadoes are causing mass destruction. The tales we used to hear about how our beautiful planet would turn into a total mess if we stood idle have already come true. Climate change is not a threat to future generations alone. It is affecting each of our lives right now. We have to work collectively and coordinate to tackle this regional and global issue," he said.
