On October 28th and 29th PIROI members participated in the biennial partners’ meeting. This event was the opportunity to bring the Presidents and Secretary Generals of PIROI member National Societies together , as well as regional representatives of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and of the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC).
On October 28th and 29th PIROI members participated in the biennial partners’ meeting. This event was the opportunity to bring the Presidents and Secretary Generals of PIROI member National Societies together (1) , as well as regional representatives of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and of the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC).
During the meeting, participants reviewed the PIROI’s activities over the past two years. They discussed various aspects of the programme such as training, management of emergency supplies, emergency operations, the Disaster Risk Reduction activities as well as activity financing.
The meeting also allowed PIROI members to agree on areas of cooperation to be developed for the next period. All members renewed PIROI’s technical coordination mandate, granted to the French Red Cross for the 2015-2020 programme, including the following 4 strategic directions:
Promoting the integration of disaster risk management into the national policies of the countries of the south-west Indian Ocean, within the context of climate change.
Building resilience of populations in the south-west Indian Ocean to address the risks of disasters and the consequences of climate change.
RC/RC National Societies respond efficiently to natural disasters, with the support of adequate human and material resources.
Setting up a regional centre for expertise, training and innovation, dedicated to disaster risk management and climate change, in order to build the capacities of the actors in the south-west Indian Ocean zone.
The meeting was all the more important for PIROI as French Red Cross National President, Professor Jean-Jacques Eledjam was present. During his various speeches, the President reiterated the French Red Cross’s commitment to help those who are the most needy and vulnerable, victims of the effects of climate change. The President also insisted on the importance of capitalising on PIROI’s fifteen years experience of disaster risk management, and on the importance of developing ‘think-tanks’ on these topics to improve and impart PIROI’s expertise.
Importantly, this new meeting of PIROI partners was held against a backdrop of resolutely combating climate change, the latter being a major issue for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and particularly for the French Red Cross, as in December France will be host country for COP21 in Paris.
(1) Mauritius Red Cross Society, Red Cross Society of Seychelles, Malagasy Red Cross Society, Comoros Red Crescent, Mozambique Red Cross Society, Tanzania Red Cross Society, and French Red Cross.
