Society Consults With Public Universities Student Union Leaders And Deans

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) conducted dissemination and consultative meeting with student union leaders and deans of public universities on November 23, 2013 at the Societys Training Center in Addis Ababa. In his welcoming speech, Dr, Solomon Ali, ERCS Deputy Secretary General for Membership and Volunteers disclosed that the Society that has been in change process for the past two years is striving towards self-development among others. According to Dr. Solomon, the dissemination session and the consultative meeting geared towards working in unison with the universities to support the self-reliance effort which eye on strengthening the humanitarian activities of the Society and, as an auxiliary to the government, backing up poverty reduction and development endeavors in the country. Dr. Solomon recalled that ERCS conferred with the former minister for education on ways of supporting the Societys humanitarian and developmental activities through partnership with the universities. The dissemination session and the consultative meeting is an extension of that meeting with the Minister and a way into action, Dr. Solomon noted. Also on the occasion, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Head of Delegation in Ethiopia, Ariane Tombet, addressed the meeting. Through an ongoing partnership with the ERCS, we exert our joint efforts on various areas of activities such as relief distribution, re-establishing family links, ambulance service, first aid training, disaster management, branch development and spreading the knowledge of International Humanitarian Law, said Tombet. According to Head of the Delegation, out of the 19 Ethiopian universities that have law faculties, the ICRC Delegation in Addis Ababa has been working in close association with 15 of them. She also indicated the ICRCs interest to strengthen the relationship with the academic community. Tombet also said that the dissemination session and the consultative meeting will open a door for further cooperation to strengthen humanitarian values among students and promote a better understanding of the Red Cross movements neutral, independent and humanitarian. On the occasion participants are introduced with origin and history of the Red Cross movement, International Humanitarian Law and the emblem, fundamental principles of the Red Cross and their application, volunteerism and membership development and the role of higher institutions among others.