TEHRAN – The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has proposed that the United Nations resident coordinator and the director of the Regional Office for West and Central Africa launch a humanitarian training center in West Asia, announcing readiness to take the leading role in this regard.

The IRCS head, Pirhossein Kolivand, offered the proposal in a meeting with the UN resident coordinator, Christine Weigand, and the director of the Regional Office for West and Central Africa at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Charles Bernimolin.

Benefiting from 110,000 specialized and trained staff, as well as six million young volunteers, the Iranian Red Crescent Society has a high capacity in providing relief, educational, and humanitarian services, IRNA quoted Kolivand as saying.

The IRCS has an active presence in offering rescue and relief services to people in accidents and natural disasters. It is the only national society in the world that utilizes mounted volunteers to provide rescue services in insurmountable areas. The IRCS also has significant achievements in air rescue and the use of drones in rescue missions, he added.

Currently, the IRCS is cooperating with 19 countries across the world in manufacturing artificial and smart organs. The society has also developed the capacity to produce medical and pharmaceutical products.

The official highlighted that the IRCS measures during the recent US-Israeli war against Iran have drawn the attention of the international community and humanitarian institutions, which has paved the way to the expansion of collaborations.

He went on to say that the IRCS is ready to foster cooperation with the UN and its affiliated agencies in sharing relief experiences, holding joint educational courses, developing regional cooperation, enhancing human capacities, and even establishing a UN regional coordinating office in Iran.

For her part, Weigand lauded the IRCS efforts and accomplishments in concurrent management of the recent war and floods in the country, noting that the IRCS's precise and up-to-date reports and documents on the war have been a key factor in reflecting the realities, making humanitarian demands, drawing the attention of the international community, and attracting their support and aid for impacted individuals.

Bernimolin, for his part, said the activities and capabilities of the IRCS have been recognized internationally for years; the IRCS is known as a professional, capable, and respected society.

The IRCS's accurate reports and documents have greatly contributed to monitoring humanitarian conditions, assessing needs, and planning humanitarian responses, he added.

He said that the future collaborations between UN and IRCS will be centered around promoting educational cooperation, sharing expertise, and benefiting from reciprocal capacities. The official called for enhancing joint efforts in addressing the needs of those affected, and strengthening humanitarian actions.

OCHA lauds IRCS for ‘effective and valuable’ management of human crises

In May, Gemma Connell, the Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Office for the OCHA’s Humanitarian Sector Division, appreciated the IRCS for its ‘effective and valuable’ role in human crises management.

While appreciating the provision of documentation, reports, and information related to humanitarian rights, she announced that the narrative of relief efforts provided by the Iranian Red Crescent Society had a significant impact on the OCHA officials.

She also praised the performance, sacrifice, and dedication of the aid workers of the IRCS, describing the role of the national society in providing relief to the affected people and managing humanitarian crises as effective and valuable, ILNA reported.

Connell emphasized the importance of developing cooperation, continuing specialized interactions, and strengthening coordination between the United Nations and the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

She made the remarks in a meeting with Pirhossein Kolivand, the president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, in Geneva, during which Kolivand explained the extensive relief and operational capacities of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

The IRCS head emphasized the need to develop humanitarian cooperation, strengthen international coordination in the field of crisis management, and promote the principles of humanitarian law.

In continuation, cooperation within the framework of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) was also stressed, and the effective role and operational capacity of the IRCS rescue and relief teams in international missions were emphasized.

MT/MG