Newsletter #3
VOICES OF THE AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN
XXI INTER-AMERICAN CONFERENCE Conference Summary
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean | XXI Inter-American Conference International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Under the motto ‘Humanitarian leadership and vision’, the 21st Inter-American Conference (the Conference) was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 21 to 23 May 2019. The Conference was attended by:
253 participants in total1 35 National Societies from the Americas region 153 participants from National Societies of the Americas 20 National Societies from other regions 26 observers The preparations for the Conference started mid-2019. During the first quarter of 2019, the setup of digital platforms enabled a dynamic dialog among local, national and regional members, volunteers, partners, staff and collaborators of National Societies. They were able to share ideas and experiences that helped to plan the Conference work sessions. The Conference forum discussion included themes such as women and leadership, governance and responsible development, volunteering, communications and youth, among others. Questions, feedback and shared experiences contributed to tailor the session contents to suit the information needs of potential participants. The Conference offered plenary sessions, discussion panels, workshops and parallel sessions focused on several themes, including: the Implementation of the Houston Commitment and the assessment process of the commitment, The Buenos Aires Commitment, the Development of the IFRC 2030 Strategy, Youth, Migration, Volunteering, Restoring Family Links (RFL) and Data Protection, Women and Leadership, Fraud and Corruption Prevention and Protection of Personal Integrity. Other discussions included the topic ‘the future of humanitarian action’ and the preparations for the next International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Several workshops on topical and relevant issues were held at the conference, including Climate Change and Comprehensive Risk Management, Health, Protection and Inclusion. Additionally, parallel work sessions were carried out covering topics such as communications and social networks, partnerships and resource mobilization, and leadership and development of National Societies.
The total of participants is based on the number of people registered in the registration platform. It is estimated that some attendees were not registered in the platform.
1.
2/
OPENING CEREMONY On 20 May 2019 the Argentine Red Cross held the Conference opening ceremony at the Kirchner Cultural Centre. Keynote speeches were delivered by Diego Tipping, President of the Argentine Red Cross, Francesco Rocca, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Gabriela Michetti, Vice President of the Argentine Republic. The most relevant theme of these opening remarks was the revised version of the Argentine Red Cross Act, presented by the Argentine government and expected to be passed by Parliament in the near future. The opening event included a cocktail gathering and a gala concert directed by the prestigious Argentine musician and composer Lito Vitale and performed by guest artists such as Julia Zenko, RaĂşl LaviĂŠ, the Secretariat of Culture National Youth Choir, Patricia Sosa and Juan Carlos Baglietto.
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean | XXI Inter-American Conference International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
CINEMA PREMIER On 21 May the Conference organized a cinema and video night featuring films about relevant topics and humanitarian work produced by National Societies, the IFRC regional office and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The event included films by the ICRC and National Societies from United States, Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. Additionally, during the plenary and parallel sessions some videos produced by the National Societies were projected to show the experiences and good practices that are being developed in the region.
WATCH VIDEOS
STORIES OF INNOVATION The five winning projects of the innovation challenge were presented during the session breaks at the Conference. The following stories of innovation were presented: • • • • •
ZIKA 360: An Innovative Tool – Salvadorean Red Cross The Use of the Perfoming Arts as a Community Engagement Tool – Barbados Red Cross Emergency Control System and Digital FRAP – Mexican red Cross Technology and Indicators in Fleet Management and the Carbon Neutrality Route – Costa Rican Red Cross Strengthening Communities for Peace – Colombian Red Cross
You will find more information about this initiatives here.
INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE The Inter-American Conference was an interactive event. Sessions were broadcasted through YouTube allowing thousands of volunteers from around the world to take part in the plenary sessions and discussions. Additionally, participants were invited to follow the Conference using their social network accounts with the hashtag #IAC2019. The communications team displayed several screens at the Conference showing the different dialogs taking place in social networks. The evaluation of the Conference was also carried out using an online platform which resulted in a real time interaction among participants.
WEB STREMING
4/
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean | XXI Inter-American Conference International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
YOUTH EVENT Twenty seven young participants from 20 National Societies took part in the Youth Event held prior to the start of the Conference. The event was organized by three youth networks from the region with the support of the Argentine Red Cross and the IFRC Volunteer and Youth Development Regional Unit. The program was entirely developed by young participants before the event and offered several spaces for discussion proposals. During the first day, five working groups discussed relevant themes such as sexual health, culture of peace, the climate crisis, the youth role in decision making, and migration. These working group discussions were followed by open discussions including issues such as leadership transition, false youth representation, inclusion of migrant volunteers, volunteer recruitment, training and engagement, contributions from the IFRC and the Youth Global Commission, engagement promotion, implementation of youth policies, and the future of youth and community participation. Additionally, the event hosted an open dialog among Movement leaders, with the presence of the IFRC President and Vice President, the President of the Argentine Red Cross, and the Regional Director for the Americas. During the second day participants discussed about the humanitarian challenges of youth in the region, the situation of youth in the Americas, the commitments and challenges of the youth teams within National Societies and the statutory meetings (IFRC General Assembly, Council of Delegates, International Conference). The participants also reflected on the 2030 Strategy and the election process of the Youth Global Commission, and prepared the Buenos Aires Youth Declaration. Following the event, youth participants joined their delegations and took part in the Inter-American Conference.
5/
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean | XXI Inter-American Conference International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
CONFERENCE OPENING On 21 may the Conference opened with volunteers reading the Seven Fundamental Principles in several languages. Gilles Carbonnier, Vice President of the ICRC, addressed the audience from a video highlighting the relevance of this meeting for the region and the importance of discussing issues such as migration, or Restoring Family Links and data protection. In his turn, the Vice President of the IFRC, Miguel Villarroel, spoke about how to find better formulas to fight against the difficulties encountered by migrant population, the threat of environmental degradation, the overwhelming disadvantage posed by the lack of food, health care, protection, and the issues of gender inequality and social exclusion. Villarroel also pointed out the important role of women as resilience leaders, the urgent changes that need to be made in our region and the importance of youth active participation in our organization. He closed his speech with the quote: ‘“What you do for yourself dies with you when you leave this world, what you do for others lives on forever.”
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HOUSTON COMMITMENT AND THE 2016-2020 INTER-AMERICAN FRAMEWORK Victoria Albán, President of the Inter-American Regional Committee (CORI), presented the report on the implementation of both the Houston Commitment and the 2016-2020 Inter-American Framework for Action (MAI), which were adopted by 35 National Societies during the last Inter-American Conference in Houston with the aim of increasing, measuring and showing the impact of our individual and collective work over a four-year period. The president pointed out that the MAI helped National Societies to take into account regional and international trends. She also highlighted that National Societies’ staff and volunteers need time to understand and integrate new strategies into their work, especially in times of leadership change, and that the Buenos Aires Commitment should build on the previous framework as well as create new trends and ways to address them. The assessment report was presented by Regional Director Walter Cotte. Firstly, he explained the methodology applied and both the challenge and the need of strengthening a regional information system able to collect information on the activities developed by the 35 National Societies. Secondly, he analysed the regional progress and achievements of the seven Houston commitments, on the basis of surveys and interviews carried out by National Societies and data from the IFRC information management systems, including the FDRS. Finally, Mr Cotte reflected on the future challenges that should be addressed at the Conference and the Buenos Aires Commitment.
6/
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean | XXI Inter-American Conference International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
IFRC 2030 STRATEGY – A PLATFORM FOR CHANGE Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General of the IFRC, was the main speaker at the Conference. He encouraged participants to become agents for change and presented the draft of the 2030 Strategy, including its motto ‘Serving people, everywhere’, and the IFRC goals, challenges and measures to be taken in the next 10 years. The Secretary General spoke about the seven transformations that need to be promoted from the global network to provide effective assistance to the most vulnerable people. These principles draw a roadmap about the work that needs to be done and the necessary changes to address the most relevant global challenges identified by the global network. He stressed the idea of using diversity as a brand and not as a sign of division and having our global principles as a compass to guide our journey as humanitarian actors. Our principles are the foundation to build a global solidarity network that places people at the heart of our humanitarian action, which must be guided by discipline and the flexibility to anticipate, mitigate and adapt.
SPECIAL SPEAKER The plenary session ‘The future of Humanitarian Action’ had an extraordinary speaker, the Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel. Mr Esquivel spoke about unity, solidarity, critical thinking and values. He stressed the importance of building hope and commitment. Conflicts have a considerable impact on people’s health, education and livelihoods. There needs to be a change in the way we look at the world. Peace is not given to us, it is the result of continuous dynamics among people and it needs to be built. The future will be the result of what we build in the present by raising awareness and addressing the roots of our problems. In this sense, humanitarian aid and commitment must contribute to improve people’s lives, and new concepts of what development really means need to be created in order to restore the balance of our mother Earth. Mr Esquivel stressed the threat posed by walls that are being built to divide humanity and the ‘monoculture of minds’ which is fuelled by the media and leads to the subjugation of the people. Regarding climate change, he emphasized the need to restore balance in the planet and stressed that we are part of the whole, not only in terms of alleviating pain but also of exploring new possibilities. ‘We need to think about who we are, what we want and where we are going’ said Mr Esquivel. He concluded by highlighting the importance of helping others and using the power of love to propel our actions.
7/
PLENARY SESSIONS
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean | XXI Inter-American Conference International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
YOUTH
Four different areas were addressed during the youth session: the results of the Youth Event, the Buenos Aires Youth Declaration, the results of the consultation process prior to the Inter-American Conference and the discussion panel: ‘Commitment and Leadership Perspective of the Youth in the Americas’. The session was prepared by the National Societies of Costa Rica, Uruguay, Argentina, Surinam, Mexico, Colombia and Haiti, with the support of the Volunteer and Youth Development Regional Unit. Participants discussed the possibilities of youth leadership and community engagement for the next ten years and analysed the results of the consultation process with thousands of answers from American Red Cross youth volunteers. The consultation revealed the steps to youth development as well as the different work areas to accomplish this task: leadership, active participation, becoming main actors in the development of National Societies, strengthening a Culture of Peace and implementing technology and innovation.
9 WATCH / VIDEO
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean | XXI Inter-American Conference International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
MIGRATION A high-level round table was held prior to the conference to address the ‘Red Cross Movement’s Commitments and Challenges of Migration’ regarding the regional context and given the current humanitarian challenges. The aim was to reaffirm the commitments of the Toluca Declaration (2016), the IFRC Migration Policy and the Migration Global Strategy (2018-2022) and promote the empowerment of National Societies’ leaders to address issues related with human mobility in the Americas. This session was attended by government representatives of the National Societies of the Americas, the President and the Vice President and the Secretary General of the IFRC, representatives of partner National Societies, and representatives of social movements and migrant population. The Plenary Session on Migration was attended by representatives of the components of the Movement (National Societies of Antigua and Barbuda, Colombia and Guatemala, the Secretary of the Federation and the International Committee) and Civil Society with the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement. The most relevant issues discussed during the session were the displacement of people and the regional and global impact of migration. Human mobility will increase in the forthcoming years due to political, social and economic reasons, in addition to the impact of disasters and climate change. Given these complex scenarios, the panelists stressed the vulnerability of migrants and displaced people and the barriers they continuously face to have access to basic services and ensure their dignity and survival Changes in migration patterns pose great challenges to countries and National Societies, given the fact that they may be countries of origin, transit and destination, even at the same time. It is essential to understand the effects of disasters and climate change on human mobility and incorporate this approach into the preparation, response and recovery stages, as well as recognize the changing nature of the need for protection due to the different migration profiles. The session emphasized the urgent need of prioritizing child protection and protection against violence and SGBV to best assist migrant people and protect their lives and dignity. The Mesoamerican Migrant Movement pointed out the importance of giving recognition to migrant victims that have disappeared along migration routes, especially migrant children, and to the families that have overcome their pain empowering themselves to become agents for change by using their own experiences to advocate for the human rights of migrants and refugees. They stressed that it is not enough to promote regional laws and agreements (such as the Global Compact for Migration) when in practice the human rights of migrants and refugees are not being respected; it is therefore necessary to monitor these agreements and collect evidence for advocacy. As a conclusion, the panelists emphasized the need of prioritizing preparedness strategies to assist and protect migrant population with an emphasis on the most vulnerable migrant groups. These strategies include the development of mechanisms to reduce vulnerabilities in migration routes and transit communities and promote actions aimed at building resiliency among migrant population. Above all, migrants should be perceived by the countries of destination as an opportunity for development.
10 /
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean | XXI Inter-American Conference International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
VOLUNTEERING
The session was divided into three main areas: showing the most relevant aspects of volunteering and youth analysis in the Americas, presenting the results of the consultation process carried out prior to the Inter-American Conference, and discussing about the future of volunteering in the region. It was reaffirmed that volunteering is the cornerstone of the Red Cross and should be at the heart of all of our efforts. In order to have any relevance the Red Cross needs to have an impact on communities just as it needs to have a wide, sustainable, trained, protected, and motivated base of volunteers. Our principle and aim is to develop humanitarian volunteers at community level. We must continuously strengthen this principle: We are a Movement of Volunteers and we work every day to fulfil our humanitarian mission under the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross. This plenary session was prepared by the National Societies of Honduras, Argentina, Cayman Islands, Uruguay and Bahamas, the IFRC Volunteer and Youth Development Regional Unit and the support of the President of the Spanish Red Cross.
11WATCH / VIDEO
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean | XXI Inter-American Conference International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
DATA PROTECTION Currently an important part of our life takes place in the digital world. From the music we listen to in Spotify to the Uber app we use to get to a place or the money we have in the bank, our life has become digitalized. Personal data protection IS REAL PROTECTION, and it is an important part of protecting people’s lives, integrity and dignity. Data protection builds trust among beneficiaries, authorities, donors, other organizations, and Red Cross staff. The session highlighted the importance of data protection for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Basic data protection principles were presented along experiences from the Argentine Red Cross and the Mexican Red Cross in the matter of Restoring Family Links (RFL) and data protection mechanisms. RFL is part of the raison d’être of the Movement. We play an important role in offering a wide range of RFL services that not only includes connectivity but also the recording and search for missing persons. The National Societies of the Americas affirm their commitment to adopt the RFL and data protection resolutions and the new Movement’s RFL strategy.
MOVEMENT MATTERS George Webber, president of the Permanent Commission, opened the session by reminding us the importance of the International Conference as a unique forum to discuss humanitarian affairs with nearly every government. He outlined the core issues of the International Conference (International Humanitarian Law, changing vulnerabilities and trust in humanitarian action) and stressed the importance of making the most of regional conferences and being well prepared for the discussions with the different States that will be carried out at the International Conference. Subsequently, the co-chairs of the Joint Organization Committee presented information on the contents and procedures of the 23rd International Conference. Finally, the Conference was divided into groups according to the different subregions in order to address the topics proposed by the draft of the agenda of the 33rd International Conference, which will be held in Geneva from 9 to 12 December 2019. Topics to be discussed include trust in humanitarian action, health, and humanitarian consequences of climate change. The methodology of the session allowed participants to analyse contents and share ideas in an interactive way. These ideas will feed the preparatory work for the International Conference. Additionally, National Societies identified challenges and opportunities that will ensure the relevance of these issues and help implement future resolutions on these matters at the International Conference.
12 /
Voices of the Americas and the Caribbean | XXI Inter-American Conference International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP The session was organized as a panel with the presentation of proposals on women and leadership brought forward during the 2017 General Assembly, where the Governing Board was asked to adopt specific measures for addressing gender, equal opportunity and women’s promotion to directive positions within the Movement. In this sense, the Glow Red initiative (Global network for high-ranking women leaders within the Movement, including 17 National Societies in the Americas) was presented during the session with the aim of reaching 50% female representation in the Governance Board. The panel was chaired by the following members: Sara John Fowler, Past Chair of the Canadian Red Cross Board of Directors and president of the working group on good governance, gender and diversity; Marta Carrizo, Coordinator of a community centre supported by the Argentine Red Cross; Ximena Pardo, President of the Uruguayan Red Cross; and Samantha Dickson, President of the Grenada Red Cross Society. The debate focused on the importance of promoting women’s participation at community, national, regional and global levels and encouraging women in the region to engage in leadership roles. Recommendations were given regarding the modification of the IFRC Gender Policy with the aim of recognizing the inclusion of gender and diversity as a fundamental part of the IFRC work. The IFRC should make the necessary changes in this area and commit to introducing updated concepts of gender and diversity, intersectionality and inclusion, with the aim of diversifying the range of programmes and improving institutional capacity for advocacy purposes.
FRAUD AND CORRUPTION PREVENTION. PROTECTION OF INTEGRITY The Conference provided information on the current IFRC procedures and tools to address these issues and presented several successful cases of fraud prevention and integrity management. A dialog between representatives of the Compliance and Mediation Committee and the Audit and Risk Commission addressed the issues of raising awareness and understanding the work in these areas. The Costa Rican Red Cross, which is the first National Society to hold the Organizational Capacity Assessment and Certification (OCAC), explained the usefulness of this tool in terms of institutional risk management and integrity protection.
13 /
WORKSHOPS AND PARALLEL SESSIONS
WORKSHOPS Workshop 1. Climate Change and Comprehensive Disaster Management One of the main aims of this workshop was drawing a roadmap to increase leadership and help National Societies in the matters of comprehensive disaster management and the development of a climate change approach in the Americas. Given the current challenges and existing opportunities, the debate identified proposals that were taken into account in the Buenos Aires Commitment. Recommendations were made to establish partnerships and create a research agenda to inform about our response capacity to emergent trends as well as to foster knowledge and experience exchange within the Movement. It was also suggested a collaboration between the University of the West Indies and the Red Cross Caribbean Disaster Risk Management Reference Centre (CADRIM). Workshop 2: Achieving Universal Health Coverage The working group analysed two thematic blocks: unmet health needs in emergencies and epidemic preparedness and response to outbreaks. Measures to be taken include: building sub-regional networks, achieving institutional sustainability, continuity and memory; long-term perspective of health programmes with an emphasis on community-based health and first aid (CBHFA); and community action involving community resilience and accountability. These future steps were included in the Buenos Aires Commitment. Additionally, it was recommended to include a regional health plan through institutional synergies and a communication strategy (aligned with the IFRC regional health strategy and national strategies) for addressing the needs of excluded people, especially of those facing stigma and discrimination. Workshop 3: Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI) The debate on PGI issues stressed the need of advancing programme development, intensifying efforts to eliminate barriers against inclusion whenever assistance is provided, including emergency situations, and engaging the youth in PGI issues. There is an increasing need of adopting a gender and diversity perspective in policy making and strategies, and creating a platform to share experiences in this matter.
PARALLEL SESSIONS Parallel session 1: Social Networks The session initiated a discussion on the process of defining a digital communications framework that would allow National Societies to make a more efficient use of social networks and would promote the participation of volunteers in building our digital brand. The conclusion was that National Societies should commit to engage volunteers as agents for disseminating digital contents. Parallel session 2: Financial Sustainability The session focused on creating new ways of financial sustainability within National Societies and strengthening collaborative networks and resource mobilization initiatives. Participants shared experiences and good practices in this focus area and made suggestions for setting clear fundraising goals based on real needs, creating dynamic organizational structures, and working creatively on diversifying funding sources and increasing the percentage of unrestricted funds. The importance of networking to meet these goals and favour the relevance of our programmes and operations in local contexts was also highlighted at the end of the session. Parallel session 3: Governance, Responsible Leadership and Organizational Development The session analysed the achievements of the fourth Houston Commitment on ensuring ‘relevant and sustainable communitybased activities and services through leadership that assumes responsibility for National Society development, preserving its integrity’, and agreed on developing new guidelines for accomplishing this task. At the end of the session, participants agreed on a commitment based the following guidelines: Offer quality and sustainable programmes to communities through territorial networks; Create inclusive spaces of good governance with wide representation and implement leadership succession strategies; Strengthen and promote local development; Carry out institutional risk analysis on a regular basis and establish an accountability mechanism for preventing fraud and corruption and protecting integrity; and foster partnerships to diversify funding sources.
BUENOS AIRES COMMITMENT The Conference approved the Buenos Aires Commitment that will accompany the 2016-2020 Inter-American Framework for Action. The Commitment includes emerging trends that will have influence on the work of National Societies in the region during the forthcoming years in alignment with the design process of the IFRC 2030 Strategy. Solidarity, as the unity principle based on common interests and goals, guides this Commitment and will ensure the relevance of our humanitarian action at community level and among the components of our Movement. This Commitment, aligned with the draft of the 2030 Strategy, comprises a regional response to five challenges: 1) Climate change; 2) Crisis and disasters; 3) Heath; 4) Migration, population movements and identities; 5) Values, power and inclusion. In order to respond to these challenges, several transformations need to take place, including: supporting the development of National Societies to become local effective and strong agents, positioning women in leadership positions, placing volunteers and youth at the heart of our actions, working efficiently as a network, strengthening accountability, influencing humanitarian action, achieving digital transformation; and strengthening fund mobilization for the future.
+
READ THE COMMITMENT
NEW AUTHORITIES OF THE INTER-AMERICAN REGIONAL COMMITTEE (CORI) The new CORI Board of Directors was elected during the Conference with the following members: President: Guiteau Jean-Pierre (Haitian Red Cross); Vice President: Judith Carvajal (Colombian Red Cross); Secretary: Benjamin Ruiz Rodas (Salvadorean Red Cross); Treasurer: Jill de Bourg (Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross); Chairs: Ximena Pardo Casaretto (Uruguayan Red Cross) and Oscar Gutiérrez Somarriba (Nicaraguan Red Cross).
EXPERIENCE THE 2019 IAC AGAIN Website Audiovisual Gallery Videos Webstreaming
Acknowledgments
The budget of the 21st Inter-American Conference was was covered by the contributions and dues from the National Societies of the Americas. We would particularly like to thank the Argentine Red Cross, the Spanish Red Cross, the Italian Red Cross, the American Red Cross, The German Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross, the Norwegian Red Cross, the Red Cross Society of China, the Netherlands Red Cross, the Swiss Red Cross, the Swedish Red Cross, the Turkish Red Crescent Society, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, the Qatar Red Crescent, and the ICRC for their valuable contributions. Thanks to our volunteers for helping to accomplish the mission of ‘leaving no one behind’, and special thanks to the Argentine Red Cross volunteers for supporting us during the event. We also thank the members of the IFRC technical team for their work and support in preparing and developing the Inter-American Conference.
@ifrc_es
@ifrc_es
IFRC Comms
website: bit.ly/IAC_2019