Tackling the humanitarian challenges posed by climate change and scaling up the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa will be two of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' main objectives in 2007.
The organization's annual appeal, which seeks 358 million Swiss francs ($285 million USD/ 220 million) for its activities this year, highlights the need for more money to be spent on disaster preparedness and risk reduction in response to the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters linked to climate change.
In 2004, the International Federation responded to 63 floods worldwide. That number jumped to 137 last year. This alarming trend was most visible in Africa, where the number of floods rose from 5 in 2004 to 32 in 2006, while at the same time millions of people continued to suffer from drought-related food insecurity.
"The people most affected by climate change will be the world's most vulnerable the elderly, the disabled and the poorest of the poor," says Markku Niskala, the International Federation's secretary general. "If this pattern continues, the international community will run out of financial and human resources to adequately respond to the world's disasters so it's crucial that we invest heavily in making communities stronger and more resilient in the first place."
The appeal also reflects the International Federation's increased commitment to combating HIV/AIDS, which is expected to kill more people in the coming decade than all the wars and disasters over the past 50 years.
In 2007, the International Federation is seeking 62 million Swiss francs ($49 million USD/ 38 million) for southern Africa alone in order to provide more HIV/AIDS services to higher numbers of people, while expanding care and treatment within communities and intensifying efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination.
These initiatives form part of a broader five-year programme for southern Africa launched in November. "HIV has destroyed the very fabric of communities in many sub-Saharan countries and is on the increase across Asia and Eastern Europe," says Mukesh Kapila, the International Federation's Special Representative for HIV and AIDS. "We must not let this virus do to Asia, or any other continent, what it has done in sub-Saharan Africa. That would be unforgivable."
The International Federation's Global Agenda, in support of the achievements of the UN's Millennium Development Goals, aims to reduce the impact of disasters, diseases and public health emergencies, make communities stronger, and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
