President of the German Red Cross, Hermann Gröhe, Visits ERCS
The newly elected President of the German Red Cross (GRC), Hermann Gröhe, has paid a visit to the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS), met with Ato Abera Tola, President of ERCS, and held a courtesy meeting with the management team and other Partner National Societies today at the Headquarters.
A brief explanation of the humanitarian and development operation by ERCS and Partner National Societies, challenges and ways forward was presented and discussed.
In his welcoming remarks, Deputy Secretary General for Programs, Ato Dires Desyibelew said that as an important member of the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Council,ERCS is not just delivering services but also contributing in terms of strategic direction and policy framework related to disaster risk management, in the country.
Mr.Hermann Gröhe noted that he is really excited to hear what ERCS has done under dramatic circumstances in Tigray and is now done in conflict zones, in the country.
He also met with President Abera Tola, and discussed how the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, with international support and with a long nine-decade tradition, is addressing humanitarian needs under very difficult conditions. He also visited the Society’s humanitarian aid warehouse in Saris.
Mrs. Paula Fritzgerald, IFRC Head of Delegation for Ethiopia & Djibouti Cluster, on her part said “ERCS is going from strength to strength. And one of the priorities is the desire for localizing resource mobilization and increased independence over time. We’re all behind that objective.”
It was last November that the Federal Assembly of the German Red Cross (GRC) unanimously elected Hermann Gröhe, the former Federal Minister of Health, as the new President of the organization.
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