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IIFRC urges Lankan Govt. to create proper legal framework for local Red Cross Society
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has urged the Sri Lankan Government to create a proper legal basis for Sri Lanka Red Cross Society to bring clarity in its role in humanitarian work.
During a four-day visit last week, IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain, discussed the implementation of the legal basis for the Red Cross society, a process which has dragged on for many years.
Jagan Chapagain
“In Sri Lanka, the Red Cross Society was created through a Royal Charter in 1951. However, after the 1978 Constitution, there is some confusion between the Charter and the Constitution. Due to this matter, the real legal basis wasn’t applied to Sri Lanka Red Cross Society,” said Mr. Chapagain.
“Setting up a Red Cross is different from many other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). There has to be an Act tabled before the Parliament to establish a Red Cross society. The Prime Minister and other officials I met during the visit have expressed their willingness on setting up a proper legal basis for Sri Lanka Red Cross,” he said.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr. Chapagain explained how to streamline a proper first-aid programme and appreciated the home-based care system for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms followed in the country.
“Having a strong primary health care system at the community level and at the household level is extremely important after COVID-19. As we saw even in developed countries, health systems were overwhelmed and almost collapsed, because there were no community health systems,” he said. “First-aid is the key component in improving household health care systems,” he added.
“If each home has some one trained in first-aid, who is aware of the basics of how to respond to an immediate health situation, this will significantly reduce the burdens on the national health care system,” said Mr. Chapagain.
He also expressed his views on disaster preparedness and how Red Cross is planning to improve community resilience to cope with and manage disasters. “Climate change has become even more important and Sri Lanka is one of the top ten countries with high risks of climate change impact due to the country’s geographical position,” he said.
After the Tsunami in 2004, the Sri Lanka Red Cross has invested in communities and through that built resilience, he added.
“When it comes to resilience there are multiple aspects a country could focus on. Health, wellbeing and livelihood are the most important aspects, while anticipating disaster and knowing how to cope when a disaster occurs, are also important,” Mr. Chapagain said. He said during the recent advocacy session, the IFRC found out that the resources to build community resilience are not reaching the community level. “Most often, we heard that billions of rupees in funds allocated and spent on climate action programmes are not reaching communities. There is no impact on conducting those projects and this is an issue in many countries,” Mr. Chapagain said.
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