Resolution 7 : Strengthening the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement response to growing humanitarian needs

Australia has made efforts to strengthen the international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement response to growing humanitarian needs in a number of ways. One of the five overarching objectives of DFAT’s Humanitarian Agreement with the Australian Red Cross is that ‘National Societies are stronger, better functioning organisations’. For Australia, this means that capacity of National Societies and local communities is strengthened enough to ensure they are included in local planning and response systems and supported by improved national disaster laws and better preparedness measures. An increasing emphasis on localisation in the Pacific - particularly through research undertaken in Vanuatu, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Fiji – is advancing this joint objective.

Australia signed a new Funding Agreement with ICRC in 2017 which emphasised performance commitments to localisation and movement relations, including capacity-building with national societies and an integrated whole of Movement response (where appropriate), and collaboration with national societies to build the resilience of affected communities and to support a transition from humanitarian to development programming (as appropriate).

Furthermore, Australia providing funding to a ICRC/IFRC Joint Appeal for the Lake Chad Region (Nigeria) in an effort to continually strengthen and improve the ability of the Movement to respond to humanitarian needs through efficient collective action and coordination.