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ACTIVITIES VOLUNTEERS CORNER
N E W S L E T T E R
page 7 page 4
nº 17 3rd
quarter 2013
Youth as agents of change: promoting a culture of non-violence and peace
How I met Nelson Mandela, Article by Marta Corachán,
Vice-president, CCM
Peace, the best possible horizon
Article by Federico Mayor Zaragoza,
Page 14
Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean
2
CONTENTS
page
EDITORIAL
New challenges, increasing priorities: paving the
way towards the 12th Mediterranean Conference 3
ACTIVITIES
Youth as agents of change: promoting a culture of
non-violence and peace 4
Volunteering as a vector for social cohesion 5
Atlantis X, shaping RC/RC Mediterranean Youth leaders 6
Youth training on Migration 6
VOLUNTEERS CORNER
How I met Nelson Mandela,
Article by Marta Corachán, Vice-president CCM 7
PARTNERSHIP
19th General Assembly of the International
Federation of Red Cross Red and Crescent
Societies 8
RC/RC Global Youth Conference 9
“Think differently”: IFRC Report on the humanitarian
impact of the economic crisis in Europe 10
RC/RC Mediterranean Platform on Migration 11
Being a refugee with “Youth on the Run” in Italy 11
New RCEU publication : Shifting Borders-
Externalising migrant vulnerabilities and rights? 12
‘Stay Safe—Volunteer security course’ 13
OPINION
Peace, the best possible horizon.
Article by Federico Mayor Zaragoza 14
Editorial Board
CCM
Comas Uriz, Santiago
David, Isabelle
Fraile Rodríguez, Eduardo
García Roca, Àngels
Grieco, Emanuela
Llobet Méndez, Néstor
Pardo Fernández, Laura
With the collaboration of:
Alonso Moro, Maria Teresa
Spanish Red Cross
Mayor Zaragoza, Federico
Foundation Culture of Peace
Red Cross EU Office
Photos by:
Castriotta, Luigi Angelo
Italian Red Cross
Corachán, Marta
CCM
IFRC
Stamatakos, Panagiotis
Hellenic Red Cross
Cover Photo:
Qi-Kung session during the Workshop ‘Youth promoting a culture of non-violence and peace’,
Palma de Majorca, October 2013
© Luigi Angelo Castriotta, Italian Red Cross
Newsletter | nº 17 | 3rd
quarter | 2013
3
EDITORIAL
As 2014 approaches, Mediterranean Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies leave
behind a year marked by regrettable losses, and yet enormous endeavours.
While the effects of the economic crisis are spreading and turning sustainable
livelihoods into dire challenges across Europe - as the recent 'Think Differently'
Report from the IFRC Europe Zone Office illustrates - the ongoing conflicts and
unrest affecting the Middle East as well as Northern African countries are putting
National Societies' responses to a test, as those adapt themselves to meet
mounting needs in a constant process of innovation and reorientation of national,
as well as regional priorities.
In this context, and following the Red Cross/Red Crescent Statutory Meetings
during which the Cyprus Red Cross Society was formally introduced as the 188th
member of the International Movement, the Mediterranean Conference welcomes
its new partner into a phase that will stand as an opportunity for renewed and
reinforced cooperation in facing common challenges, while providing continued
response both to the priorities already stated in the Dubrovnik Declaration, as well
as to the new needs to be identified by National Societies through a survey which
will be re-launched at the beginning of 2014.
The contributions of the 26 Mediterranean National Societies will be crucial to
assist the Red Cross of the Republic of San Marino, and the CCM, in preparing the
12th Mediterranean Conference in 2015, under the auspices of a region finally
based on peace and equality.
New challenges, increasing priorities: paving the way
towards the 12th
Mediterranean Conference
Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean
4
ACTIVITIES
Youth as agents of change: promoting a culture of non-violence and peace
The 11th Mediterranean Conference of Red Cross and Red
Crescent (Croatia, March 2010) highlighted the need to
tackle the current and future humanitarian issues in our
region, constantly promoting the respect for diversity,
tolerance, peaceful coexistence and cooperation, focusing
-among others- on the important role of young people as
promoters of a global culture of non-violence and peace.
Considered to be the future -as well as the present- of the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,
Youth become a dynamic resource in carrying out
humanitarian initiatives at national level and key agents of
positive change for their ability to quickly adapt to new
contexts and to replicate lessons learnt.
In this context, both the CCM and the Spanish Red Cross,
through its delegation in the Balearic Islands, organized a
Mediterranean Workshop on Youth with a special focus on
the empowerment of youth volunteers as promoters of a
global culture of non-violence and peace. The activity was
carried out from the 30th September to the 6
th of October in
Palma de Majorca through practical sessions and
dynamics which inspired dialogue, discussion and open
debates to find solutions to problems and tensions, both at
personal and as community level, and which built
participants' skills as agents of change by transforming
problems into creative and constructive solutions.
The Youth Workshop was inaugurated by the
representatives of the Spanish Red Cross in the Balearic
Islands, the CCM, the City Council of Palma de Majorca
and the Government of the Balearic Islands. Among the
key speakers was Professor Federico Mayor Zaragoza,
President of the ‘Culture of Peace Foundation’ and former
Director General of UNESCO. Through his inspiring
speech towards the promotion o a culture of peace, Mr.
Mayor motivated the public at large, made of 22 youth
volunteers from 13 National Societies and 12 international
facilitators and speakers from the National Societies of
Egypt and Italy, the IFRC P&V Department, the IFRC
Mena Zone, the CCM and the School of Non-violent
Communication.
During the Workshop participants were involved in six
thematic sessions, all facilitated in English, and worked
according to a non-cognitive approach consisting in
practical activities like role plays, exercises, real-life.
IFRC P&V: through the dynamics developed participants
could deepen their knowledge and understanding of the
seven Fundamental Principles and the underpinning
humanitarian values, learning new creative ways to
disseminate them.
Workshop on Peace Education: participants experienced
the difficulties and limitations in having prejudices and
stereotypes. They enjoyed the richness of differences and
valued the opportunity that difference gives us.
Workshop on Non-Violent Communication: participants
became aware of the importance of undertaking non-
violent communication with others and ourselves. They
could strengthen their knowledge about non-violent
communication and learn the methodology to apply it in
their work and daily life.
Workshop on Photography in Emergency: participants
had the opportunity to understand not only the
fundamental role that photography has in showing the
effectiveness of the RC/RC work and communicating, in
© CCM
© CCM
© CCM
Newsletter | nº 17 | 3rd
quarter | 2013
5
ACTIVITIES
case of emergency, the impact of the disaster
or of the armed conflict, but also the importance
to respect the dignity of the people portrayed
and to protect oneself while taking photos.
Seminar on Volunteering as a vector for social cohesion
Tackling the effects of the widespread economic crisis is
currently one of the greatest priorities for many National
Societies in the Mediterranean region.
Amongst such effects are the deteriorating life condi-
tions and the risk of exclusion of the most vulnerable
groups, let alone the effects on family relationships due
to patterns of dependence from the household which
had previously experience the emancipation of most of
the family members.
Yet, the current crisis is taking place in the new 'digital
era', a factor that can and ought to be used both as an
important means and a valuable opportunity to counter-
act exclusion.
But how can National Societies bridge the digital divide
for more inclusive communities? How can new tech-
nologies serve as a means for dialogue between gen-
erations, hence combating exclusion?
From a Red Cross/Red Crescent perspective, Volunteer-
ing is once again the best option, as it stands as the real
vector to connect generations and communities through
the new technologies, and improve the quality of life both
for youth and for the elderly, in a mutual exchange of
experiences and know-how.
In order to present the programmes and initiatives car-
ried out by the Spanish Red Cross in the implementation
of new technologies, and promote the exchange best
practices among Mediterranean National Societies, the
CCM together with the Volunteering and Youth Depart-
ment of the Spanish Red Cross are organizing an activity
on “Volunteering as a vector for social cohesion” to be
held in Madrid (Spain) in the first semester of 2014.
Location: Spain
Date: 1st
Semester 2014
Leadership Skills: Participants understood how leader-
ship is based on relationships through communication,
trust, and cooperation and learned to use creativity to
solve problems, to listen to their own and to the others’
feelings, to work and think as a team, and to have trust
within the group.
Furthermore a special session on the “Sharing of Best
Practices” was organized in which participants presented
programmes or activities that their own RC/RC Youth Sec-
tions implemented, and are still implementing, in relation
to the promotion of a culture of non-violence and peace to
compare and enrich the perspective and visions on these
themes, and possibly find new ideas and implement initia-
tives. In order to facilitate intercultural dialogue and the
exchange of experiences, several side events were also
displayed in the evening where the young volunteers were
Youth as Agents of Behavioural Change:
Participants worked on their communication
skills and learned how self-criticism, dropping
bias and inner change can lead us towards a
more inclusive and peace-based society under-
standing how critical thinking can prevent us
from falling into social dynamics built on preju-
dice and stereotypes.
able to get to know each other, sharing and enjoying
memorable moments.
The evaluation of the Mediterranean Youth Workshop
has been very positive: participants’ expectations were
completely met evaluating the general content of the
training as good or excellent, and the CCM objectives
were widely satisfied showing all participants great inter-
est and commitment to the programme and the single
sessions, also thanks to the dynamic approach given by
the facilitators in every session, that motivated and inter-
ested volunteers in acquiring new skills with regards to
the topic at issues.
For the complete Report: “Youth promoting a culture of
Non-violence and Peace”
Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean
6
ACTIVITIES
Atlantis X, shaping RC/RC Mediterranean Youth leaders
Atlantis has come to its 10th edition, and in order to
celebrate this anniversary and the birth of the idea of the
Red Cross/Red Crescent Mediterranean Youth Camp, the
activity will focus on Leadership and Youth empowerment,
topics on which the CCM has been working since its very
establishment together with partner National Societies.
The fundamental role of young people in developing
communities is also recognized by the IFRC Youth Policy:
“National Societies recognise and value the important role
and contribution of young people in addressing
humanitarian and development communication, social
media, and other technologies, intercultural ambassadors,
peer to peer facilitators, community mobilisers, agents of
behavioural change, and advocates for vulnerable people.
National Societies recognise the leadership role of young
people in tackling contemporary and emerging issues”.
Following the recommendations of the RC/RC
Mediterranean Conference, empowering youth volunteers
in being active participants in their National Society and
community, acquiring much needed skills in their every-
day work and personal capacities is a process that has
been carried out with great support from Mediterranean
Red Cross/Red Crescent which have often provided
expert trainers and facilitators.
Youth training on Migration
In a continued concern to raise awareness on the
challenges related to the migration phenomenon seen
from a comprehensive perspective, and with the aim of
contributing to National Societies' capacity building in
providing assistance and protection to migrants, the Italian
Red Cross - through its regional branch in Sicily - and the
CCM are planning an activity focused on "Youth and
Migration" to be implemented in the second semester of
2014.
Empowering Youth volunteers and consequently host
communities in acting as key agents of change in the
dialogue on migration, as remarked in the context of the
Statutory Meetings held in Sydney, stands as an important
tool not only to better assist and protect migrants, but also
as a relevant tool for humanitarian diplomacy.
Standing as a follow-up of the seminar on the
"Humanitarian Consequences of forced Migration"
celebrated in Rome in 2012, the activity will include a
training on the "Youth on Run" role play, an initiative of the
Icelandic Red Cross based on the idea of the Danish
professor Steen Cnops Rasmussen. The role play
consists in living 24 hours in the shoes of migrants, facing
all sorts of difficulties along the way.
The CCM together and partner National Societies will work
closely in the next few months in order to ensure the event
to be rich in content and keep contributing to the
empowerment and leadership skills of Youth sections for
the benefit of Mediterranean National Societies and
communities at large.
Further information in this respect will be available on the
next number of our Newsletter.
Date: 1st
semester 2014
The training will be complemented by the contributions of
experts from the International Movement of the Red Cross
and Red Crescent, as well as external actors.
Thanks to the recent training on the role play undertaken
by the Italian Red Cross, the game can now be adapted to
the Mediterranean context and disseminated at regional
level through the technical support and networking that
the CCM aims to provide.
Location: Sicily, Italy
Date: 2nd
Semester 2014
Source: IFRC Migration Unit, published on World Migrant Day
Newsletter | nº 17 | 3rd
quarter | 2013
7
VOLUNTEERS CORNER
How I met Nelson Mandela
NELSON MANDELA (1918-2013)
President of South Africa
From Apartheid to Democracy
A sight hurt by sunlight after 27
years of imprisonment
A sound smile and a wounded look. This is
how I met Nelson Mandela in the spring of
1996 in the presidential Palace in Cape Town.
A year before, as president of the Spanish
Red Cross in Catalonia, I received a call from
a colleague of an NGO based in Madrid, to tell
that the person in charge of an NGO in
Mozambique was about to visit Barcelona.
She was coming to our town, she did not know anyone and
I was asked to attend her. She was going to arrive on a
personal basis, as her daughter needed to have an eye
surgery in one of the clinics in Barcelona.
During her week stay in Barcelona, I became friends with
Graça Machel, the widow of the former president of
Mozambique, Somora Machel. Since that moment, our
friendship grew in time and Graça invited me to meet her in
Cape Town, where she would spend long stays when back
from Maputo, and where I would go regularly to visit my
son, who lived for almost 12 years in South Africa.
As my trip was approaching, I called Graça Machel and
she asked me to meet the week following my arrival in
Cape Town. “Come at 9 am to this address” she said, “and
we’ll have breakfast together”.
When I showed my son the address I had written down, his
reply troubled me: “Mom, this is the address of the
presidential palace, the Country’s President: Nelson
Mandela”. That was the day when the engagement with my
friend Graça Machel was made public, and that was the
day when the secret between us was revealed. My son
and I were received on the Palace’s threshold with a great
smile. By her side stood her partner: Mr. Nelson Mandela.
What could I capture from President Mandela during our
2hrs visit?
Certainly his sense of humour as he saw the surprised look
on my face when I arrived to the appointment. It wasn’t
only about having breakfast with a friend, but also an
interview with South Africa’s President.
Madiba, as the ones who loved him called him in his
country, was a man of peace and reconciliation, with the
ability to forgive and with the intelligence of a genius who
had suffered. I could also perceive a special charm in him,
which was made clear by his words when, at the end of our
meeting he revealed the two reasons for receiving me.
First of all, he wanted to thank me for attending what was
then his secret partner, Graça Machel, during her visit in
Barcelona.
Secondly, since at that time I was the President of the
Spanish Red Cross in Catalonia, and Vice-president of the
Spanish Red Cross, Mr. Mandela wanted to express his
most sincere gratitude to the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement for the positive memories he had
nurtured in time of the visits paid by the Red Cross during
his 27 years of imprisonment in Robben Island. Not only
for the joy the RC delegates brought along through the
letters, details from family and friends, for their comfort and
help to what inmates needed, but also because, on the
day of the visit, the jailers took good care in cleaning, in
the food and in their manners, so that the day would seem
easier to bear.
During my visit, I could also treasure in his look the
oblivion of the scars, put aside by the memories of his
friends, the time spent together, mingling with his peers
and his family... wanting for his people that freedom and
justice he would later fight for. Brought up to meet other
people’s needs, he devoted himself with love and
compassion. I believe it was in his hometown Qunu where
he spent his late years.
He was a key man of his time, and lead the way. A way
made of steps that will not vanish; steps of freedom,
equality and kindness.
What a light of hope!
What an overwhelming dignity!
This is the memory I have of a kind, humble man who did
not spite “the others” and whose attitude towards the world
changed the course of History.
Marta Corachán
© Marta Corachán
Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean
8
PARTNERSHIP
19th General Assembly of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The General Assembly is the supreme governing body of
the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies. Member National Societies meet to
celebrate their achievements, discuss the humanitarian
challenges and decide the future strategic directions.
In its 19th edition the Assembly took place between the
11th and 17
th of November 2013 in Sidney (Australia) and
gathered more than 180 RC/RC National Societies, as
well as representatives of the IFRC and the ICRC.
In the Opening Ceremony, Dr. Abdul Rahman Attar,
President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC),
accepted the Red Cross Red Crescent Peace Prize on
behalf of the National Society.
Conferred in extraordinary circumstances, the Red Cross
and Red Crescent Prize for Peace and Humanity is a
Movement award to recognize efforts to build a more
peaceful world through humanitarian action and the
dissemination of the ideals of the Movement.
In this vein, the daily work carried out by over 3000 SARC
volunteers in the ongoing terrible circumstances made the
National Society worthy of the Award.
Furthermore, the IFRC, following the voting of the
Assembly, welcomed the entry of two new National
Societies: the Cyprus Red Cross, established in 1950 as
a branch of the British RC, and the South Sudan Red
Cross, that was founded in 2011 following the country’s
independence. The total number of RC/RC National
Societies has hence increased to 189.
The other main theme discussed during the Assembly
was the humanitarian situation in the Philippines after
Typhoon Haiyan. The IFRC launched an appeal to help
the country and praised the work of the Philippines RC for
the assistance given to all those who have lost their home
and are in desperate need of food, shelter and water.
Noteworthy were also the elections of the IFRC
governance, in which Mr. Tadateru Konoé (Japanese RC)
was re-elected as President. He underlined his objectives
and priorities, as the growth of stronger National Societies
and the protection of their independence and
effectiveness.
Furthermore the following were elected as vice presidents
of the IFRC: Mr. Abbas Gedi, (Kenia) for Africa, Mr.
Osvaldo Ferrero (Argentina) for the Americas; Dr. Baige
Zhao (China) for Asia-Pacific; Mr. Francesco Rocca (Italy)
for Europe, while five National Societies for each of the
regions, among others the Spanish RC, were also elected
to be part of the IFRC Governing Board.
The Spanish Red Cross was the deserving recipient of the
Use of IT in Mobilizing and Managing Volunteers category,
following the success of their online volunteer
management database. The same award was delivered to
the Iranian Red Crescent and to the Hong Kong Red
Cross.
Besides the awards and the elections, the General
Assembly tackled themes such as responsibility,
transparency, risks-management, the support to the
National Societies’ development, the fundamental
importance of Youth for the International
Movement as well as its inner
coordination.
Lastly, Mr. Tadatoshi Akiba, former
Mayor of Hiroshima and antinuclear
advocate, presented the annual 2013
Red Cross Oration “A Nuclear Weapons
-Free World: A Perfect Vision with a
Deadline”. Drawing on the horrors of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Dr. Akiba
recounted the spirit of Hibakusha –
survivors of the bombs which
devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki
who have made it their life mission to
ensure that no one should suffer as they
did.
Related links:
http://www.rcrcmeetings.org/
© IFRC
© IFRC
Newsletter | nº 17 | 3rd
quarter | 2013
9
PARTNERSHIP
Red Cross/Red Crescent Global Youth Conference
By Maria Teresa Alonso Moro, National Vice-president,
Spanish Red Cross Youth
198 youth delegates coming from 116 National Societies
were given the opportunity to gather in Sydney
(Australia) in order to examine the common challenges to
elaborate a development programme post 2015.
We kept in mind the importance of working in the Global
Youth Conference to make valuable contributions in the
Statutory Meetings (General Assembly and Council of
Delegates) that took place after the Conference.
We reaffirmed our commitment to the fundamental princi-
ples, the Tarragona Declaration (2004), the Solferino
Youth Declaration (2004), the Youth Policy approved by
the IFRC in 2011), the results of the Global Youth Con-
ference celebrated in Vienna (Austria) in 2012, and the
Youth Engagement Strategy that was later presented in
the General Assembly and finally endorsed by the partici-
pating National Societies.
The content of the Global Youth Conference focused on
two pillars and for each of them we worked in different
groups, which made the process very interesting as I had
the opportunity to know the reality that my peers from
other National Societies are facing. In order to give a
content framework various presentations were delivered,
and we were also given the time to prepare and actively
participate in the General Assembly and in the Council of
Delegates.
Pillar 1: Defining the World after 2015
After analyzing the knowledge acquired through the Mil-
lennium Development Goals, we debated on what the
role of the International RC/RC Movement will be after
2015, and came to the conclusion that the humanitarian
priorities should be the following:
Building resilience in communities, including in
particular, addressing rising violence and armed
conflicts, all kinds of discrimination, inequity, pov-
erty, at both their root causes and immediate con-
sequences.
Providing accessible quality and relevant educa-
tion, including skills based education and training.
Overcoming the impacts of climate change and
increased natural disasters, and reaching environ-
mental sustainability.
Achieving gender and youth equality in the access
to education, employment and decision-making.
.
Pillar 2: RCRC Youth has an impact on the humani-
tarian context through the implementation of the
IFRC Youth Engagement Strategy (Y.E.S.)
The Youth Engagement Strategy aims at promoting an
approach that helps youth broaden and improve their
activities so as to achieve a greater impact both within
and outside their local communities.
161 National Societies of the Red Cross and Red Cres-
cent participated in the drafting process of the Strategy.
In order to achieve the priorities above mentioned, we,
the delegates of the Global Youth Conference, firmly
believe that all National Societies should incorporate in
their structure a Youth policy that is in line with the IFRC
Youth Policy (2011), and that all National Societies
should provide proper resources for the implementation
of the IFRC Y.E.S.
As a conclusion, I can affirm that the Statutory Meetings
have been a real example of the work that our organiza-
tion carries out across the world, “everyday closer to
people”.
Useful Resources: IFRC Y.E.S
© IFRC
Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean
10
PARTNERSHIP
IFRC Report on the humanitarian impact of the economic crisis in Europe: “Think Differently”
(the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer)
and the competition for shrinking resources could bring
about growing xenophobia, discrimination, social exclu-
sion, as well as abuse and domestic problems.
The mapping showed, compared to the 2009 report, how
millions of people have seen their human conditions wors-
ened:
More people are becoming poor, unable to buy food
and medicines, not having access to health care,
More of the middle-class are falling below the pov-
erty line unable to face all utility bills, and the poor
are getting poorer;
More people are finding themselves without a job or
with a job that cannot permit to sustain their family;
The gap within rich and poor is increasing and the
number of emarginated groups is growing;
National Societies have seen the number of people
who need their help increase dramatically, and al-
though they have raised their domestic pro-
grammes, some National Societies are not able to
support all those affected by the crisis;
The awareness that the problems caused by this
crisis will be felt for decades even if the economy
turns for the better
“Think differently” and act differently: understanding how
Societies can adapt to the new realities we are living and
thinking in an innovative ways to find sustainable and long
terms solutions to mitigate the humanitarian impacts of
this crisis, preventing it to turn into a moral and social cri-
sis.
Related links: http://www.ifrc.org/economiccrisis
On 10th October 2013, the International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), presented in
Rome “Think differently”, the second report on the hu-
manitarian impacts of the economic crisis in Europe.
Standing as a follow up on the first report presented in
2009, the second publication shows, thanks to the impor-
tant contributions from National Societies of the Europe
Zone, how in four years the humanitarian conditions in
European countries have not improved, but are actually
getting worse due to the ongoing economic crisis.
In the first report it was underlined how too little attention
was being paid to the humanitarian consequences of the
crisis while all energies were focused on stabilizing the
macroeconomic situation of the continent. Thanks to the
collection of responses, testimonies and social health-
wellness indices from European National Societies, “Think
differently” wants to illustrate the human face of the crisis
and highlight how the crisis is taking a turn for the worse
in the Europe zone, disproportionally hitting the most vul-
nerable citizens and impacting new groups of people who
had never been affected before.
At the beginning of 2013 the IFRC carried out a mapping
to get an overview of how the 52 National Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies in Europe and Central Asia were
responding to the crisis. The results shock for their worry-
ing trends and challenges: millions of Europeans live with
insecurity and uncertainty about what the future holds. We
can start seeing a quiet desperation spreading among
Europeans in terms of depression, resignation and loss of
hope for their future.
Many National Societies remark that the economic crisis
is creating the conditions for a widespread social crisis,
whereby a growing gap in the distribution of resources
© Finnish Red Cross
Newsletter | nº 17 | 3rd
quarter | 2013
11
PARTNERSHIP
The Movement Meeting on the Humanitarian Situation in
the Mediterranean, held in Barcelona on 19-20 March
2013, remarked the importance, following the previous
steps taken in the Meeting of Rome in 2012, to establish a
network for migration in the Mediterranean. As an out-
come of that meeting the Centre for the Cooperation in the
Mediterranean, in collaboration with the IFRC and the
ICRC, presents the initiative for a RC/RC Mediterranean
Platform on Migration. This initiative, which originates as a
follow up of the appointment of Mediterranean focal points
on migration issues, arises with the aim to improve the co-
ordination, cooperation and partnership between the RC/
RC Mediterranean National Societies, members of the
Mediterranean Conference, on the issues regarding the
delivery of assistance and protection to migrants, advo-
cacy and RFL services, promoting a constant flow of infor-
mation and the exchange of best practices among the par-
ties involved.
In detail, the Platform objectives will be:
The facilitation of the information flow between Na-
tional Societies through the focal points, appointed
by National Societies within their existing human
resources;
The mapping of RC/RC migration programmes at
regional level carried out by the CCM in coordination
with the other platform coordinators and parties in-
volved;
RC/RC Mediterranean Platform on Migration
The promotion and dissemination of the RC/RC
best practices on migration;
The exchange of experiences at Mediterranean
level through ‘twinning mechanisms’.
In this frame of action, the CCM has produced a video
reporting on the last Movement Meeting that underlined
the fundamental role of the focal points, as well as the im-
portance for a better coordination, cooperation and part-
nership in the Mediterranean region. In its closing, Mrs.
Marta Corachán, Vice-president of the CCM, introduced
the Platform’s project highlighting its fundamental role in
facing migration related challenges in our region and as-
sist and safeguard the conditions of vulnerable migrants
along their route.
Video on the Movement Meeting on the Humanitarian
Situation in the Mediterranean
Being a refugee with “Youth on the Run” in Italy
The path of a refugee is hard. There is physical strain
caused by hundreds of kilometres of walk before arriving
somewhere slightly safer. There is, as well, a mental drain
due to the conditions and the experiences a refugee lives:
to flee from your hometown without anything, to have no
food and nothing to drink, the uncertainty of what is going
to happen next, the fear of the next border control or the
following roadblock.
The role-play “Youth on the Run” is designed to
experience some of the situations a refugee lives, to better
comprehend them and empathize with their situation. The
Regional Branch of Emilia Romagna of the Italian Red
Cross organized the game on the 23rd
and 24th November
in Prignano sulla Secchia, Modena.
Two members of CCM participated and experienced,
along with over 30 Italian Red Cross youth volunteers, a
hint of what it is to be a refugee and an asylum seeker.
Frustration, loneliness and the sensation of feeling lost in
time and space are some of the emotions that the
participants shared during the debriefing that took place
after the game.
The role-play was conceived in the 90’s by the Danish
professor Steen Cnops Rasmussen who was worried
about the intolerance and racism against refugees and
migrants in general. “Youth on the Run” aims at raising
awareness on the situation of vulnerability that refugees
and asylum seekers face. The game has been used by the
Icelandic Red Cross for more than 25 years as a tool, and
has been disseminated to other European National
Societies, among which the Italian Red Cross is the first
National Society of the Mediterranean to implement the
role-play.
For further information on the game please contact the
CCM: mediterraneo@cruzroja.es.
Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean
12
PARTNERSHIP
Following the World Disasters Report 2012 – focus on
forced migration and displacement, the new Red Cross EU
Office (RCEU) booklet Shifting borders – Externalizing
migrant vulnerabilities and rights? sets the issue of forced
migration and displacement within the specific context of
European Union (EU) migration and border control
policies. It analyses a trend which has been picked up by
several European National Red Cross Societies as having
a significant impact on the vulnerability of migrants, and
consequently, on their own activities. It also aims at
providing practical backing for the 31st International
Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent call for
governments to ensure that migrants, irrespective of their
legal status, have access to the support that they need
and that they are treated at all times with respect and
dignity.
Externalization is the process by which certain States shift
responsibility for migration control to migrants’ countries of
origin and of transit. This RCEU publication thus takes a
closer look at the consequences of the externalisation of
EU migration controls on migrant vulnerabilities and rights
by breaking the process down into its main characteristics
and by identifying human costs associated to these.
Each chapter, while highlighting relevant IFRC Migration
Policy principles, presents related activities of National
Societies and emphasises the need for humanitarian
actors to take urgent and decisive action to protect the
dignity and rights of migrants in this adverse context.
New RCEU publication on the evolving vulnerabilities of migrants in and at the borders of the
EU: Shifting Borders – Externalising migrant vulnerabilities and rights?
Article by the Red Cross EU Office
The booklet Shifting Borders also examines initiatives of
other organisations engaged in reducing migrant
vulnerabilities.
This publication aims at supporting the work of
humanitarian actors in ensuring access to protection and
dignity for migrants in the current context. It intends to
move away from the prevailing political concerns which
tend to shape the debate, towards focusing on the acute
vulnerabilities of migrants in order to promote
understanding of the key issues at stake on this sensitive
issue.
The booklet was launched on 6 November during a
conference at the European Parliament entitled where
European National Societies, EU and national policy
makers, as well as civil society actors assessed the
humanitarian consequences of Externalisation and
analysed how current and future policy tools could address
related migrant vulnerabilities. Participants to the
conference recognized the relevance of the RCEU
recommendations to create legal avenues to access
international protection in the EU.
For more information and to receive printed copies of the
publication, please contact migration@redcross-eu.net
Panel discussion with MEP Wikström, Alexandra Segenstedt
from the Swedish RC and Roger Zetter from Oxford University
during the Conference "Shifting EU Borders and the access to
international protection" . © RCEU Office
Newsletter | nº 17 | 3rd
quarter | 2013
13
PARTNERSHIP
‘Stay Safe - Volunteer security course’ now available on the IFRC Learning Platform
Volunteers’ security is one of the growing concerns of the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as
in many countries National Societies face big challenges in
safer access, safety and security in general.
According to the mid-year Report of the IFRC Security
Unit, recent reports indicate that 2013 will stand as the
year with the highest number of major attacks against aid
workers worldwide yet recorded. We continue to witness
changes in the global security environment resulting in a
general deterioration, and IFRC personnel and humanitar-
ian aid workers having to operate increasingly in insecure
or potentially dangerous environments. Sadly, at present
the total number of reported RC/RC staff and volunteers
killed globally stands at minimum 35, with many more sus-
taining serious injuries. The RC/RC staff were killed in
Syria (31), Afghanistan (2), Democratic Republic of Congo
(1) and Somalia (1).
The IFRC Security Unit
has in recent years
developed a number of
security initiatives and
tools under the “Stay
safe” concept. The se-
curity programme con-
tributes to reducing the
numbers of deaths,
injuries and impact
from disasters and in-
creases local commu-
nity, civil society and
Red Cross Red Cres-
cent capacity to ad-
dress the most urgent
situations of vulnerabil-
ity by creating an effec-
tive culture of security
within the IFRC and
National Societies.
This will further enable Red Cross Red Crescent person-
nel to operate safely and securely. In addition, it will sup-
port the IFRC in addressing more effectively the strategic
imperatives identified in Strategy 2020.
In order to provide minimum security preparation for Na-
tional Society Volunteers, leaders and paid staff, assist-
ing the National Societies in establishing an appropriate
security management system, the IFRC Security Unit with
the collaboration of the Volunteering department, have
produced a new online course: ‘Stay safe- Volunteer se-
curity course’. Stay safe for volunteers is a prevention
tool, which aims to enhance the security and well-being of
volunteers and National Society staff at National Red
Cross/Red Crescent Societies and the vulnerable people
we serve. The 2hrs 30 min course is free of charge and it
includes the following items:
Introduction to volunteer security
Preparing for volunteer work
Volunteer security during Natural Disaster response
Volunteer security during lower risk field assign-
ments
Volunteer security during conflict and crime field
assignments.
To register for the course log into the IFRC learning plat-
form at: http://www.ifrc.org and direct at: http://
www.ifrc.org/en/get-involved/learning/
For questions or comments, you can contact the support
team at: support.learning@ifrc.org
Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean
14
OPINION
The best horizon to be conceived as a common future for humanity is Peace building, that is, the
construction of a culture of peace and non-violence as personal and collective behaviour, both on a
global and local scale, so that humanity can actually find its real meaning and fulfil its evolution.
Peace has always been the most profound ideal for humanity. Like a chimera, it has been interpreted
in many occasions and by many cultures to justify the impossibility of achieving it in real terms.
The seeds of peace can be found in the heart and mind of all human beings. But throughout history,
in a masculine society, we resorted to force, to “preparing for war”. The seeds have been left in
unattended grooves, unable to germinate given the tremendous drought that we now have to, and
are able to mend.
Because the seeds are there.
Suddenly, all the citizens of the world, all the people have become, for the magic provided by the
means of communication, a crossroad of cultures and knowledge; being peaceful is not enough, we
have to be peacemakers. Actors, militants for peace. Committed. “You cannot build a different world
with indifferent people…”. This requires awareness, personal will, a deliberate attitude of daily life.
Peace is not only an ideal to be met, but an urgent voluntary task.
As Juan Vives mentioned: “the first perquisite for peace is the will to achieve it”.
The current technological “generation” and the social transformation that it entails reveal the current
reality, that it is necessary knowing in order to swap the relations of force that have characterized
human history with relations based on mutual understanding, dialogue and co-operation. Lets’ not
turn what Martin Luther King said into reality when he mentioned that “Our generation will not have
regretted both the crimes of the wicked, and the eerie silence of the kind”.
The Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace, approved by the General Assembly of United
Nations in September 1999, addresses “parents, teachers, politicians, journalists, religious groups,
intellectuals, those who carry out scientific, philosophic, creative and artistic activities, social workers,
those who carry out managing tasks at different levels as well as non-governmental organizations”…
There is no doubt, therefore, that peace is something that concerns us all, no exception made. We
cannot wait for it to be a decision of governors. Citizens’ power has to act promptly in order to
demand the great change, the great transition from force to word.
Moments of hope lay ahead, and they are fascinating, as in the words of Eduardo Galeano: “Utopia
is on the horizon. I move two steps closer; it moves two steps further away. I walk another ten steps
and the horizon runs ten steps further away. So what is the point of utopia? The point is this: to keep
walking”. Utopia moves as we forcibly move towards her. It can never be reached…but in the
process we have walked long distances. The culture of peace and non-violence has to be considered
as the foundations of the new civilization of the world for the 21st century that gives us the ethic
bases to carry out the difficult transition from specific realities to global realities, which are manifold
and diverse. Hoping that “a different world is possible”, the culture of peace is a horizon and an
achievable utopia altogether, a life mission, a public policy, a peaceful weapon, but first of all, it has
to be a real philosophy to inspire citizens’ behaviour in the 21st century.
Federico Mayor Zaragoza
November 28th, 2013
Peace, the best possible horizon
The Fundamental Principles of the International
Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
Humanity
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, born of a
desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on
the battlefield, endeavours, in its international and national capacity,
to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its
purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the
human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship,
cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.
Impartiality
It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs,
class or political opinions. It endeavours to relieve the suffering of indi-
viduals, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the
most urgent cases of distress.
Neutrality
In order to continue to enjoy the confidence of all, the Movement may
not take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a
political, racial, religious or ideological nature.
Independence
The Movement is independent. The National Societies, while
auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and
subject to the laws of their respective countries, must always maintain
their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in
accordance with the principles of the Movement.
Voluntary service
It is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire
for gain.
Unity
There can be only one Red Cross or one Red Crescent Society in any
one country. It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian
work throughout its territory.
Universality
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in which all
Societies have equal status and share equal responsibilities and
duties in helping each other, is worldwide.
With the support of:
Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean
Av. Portal de l’Àngel 7, 4th floor 08002 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 302 15 85 | Fax: +34 93 302 20 75
mediterraneo@cruzroja.es
Follow us on :
www.cruzroja.es/ccm Centre for the Cooperation in the
Mediterranean
www. medyouthpotral.org
Humanity Impartiality Neutrality Independence Voluntary service Unity Universality
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