Ambassadors, the Honorable Dr. Inoguchi of the House of Councellors, representatives of the Cabinet Office, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Rector of the United Nations University, Heads of Mission of several representations of international organisations and of the ICRC in Japan and other VIP guests were gathered as “Friends of Humanitarian Action” at the Swiss residence on December 1st to meet with President of the Japanese Red Cross Society, Mr. Tadateru Konoe. Mr. Konoe has presented to the participants the main features of the International Helping Hands Campaign of the Japanese Red Cross Society, which had just started on the same day. He has thanked the ambassadors who had sent a message of support which is published on the campaign’s website.
Reflecting on his experience as the President of the IFRC from 2009 to 2017, President Konoe has highlighted eight challenges for the organization: to strengthen the capacities of the national societies, to motivate the Red Cross volunteers, compliance, integrity, disaster preparedness, migration, humanitarian education and funding. President Konoe has expressed his conviction “that the ‘Friends of Humanitarian Action’ has huge potential to make our dream of doing more, doing better and reaching further come true (…)”
