05 December 2003

Geneva: "Humanitarian volunters need greater support," says Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro, President of the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies (IRCS) during a special ceremony to mark International Volunteer Day (IVD) on 5 December.

In his tribute to the estimated 97 million members and volunteers who implement Red Cross and Red Crescent programmes around the world, the president underlined their essential role in carrying out the organization’s humanitarian mission, which is to assist the most vulnerable people, at times at their own peril.

The event took place at the 28th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva with the theme, "Protecting Human Dignity".

Read more

Read the speech of Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro

Source: International Federation of Red Cross web site