The worldwide Red Cross launched its 2004 appeal on Tuesday, earmarking the largest-to-date slice of its budget to fight diseases such as HIV/Aids that kill millions more people than natural disasters every year.
More than 40% of the 217,6-million Swiss franc ($173-million) appeal will help the 13-million people who die annually from infectious diseases, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.
In contrast, just under 26% of the cash raised will help cope with natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods — work the Red Cross has traditionally been associated with — which killed 24 500 last year.
”The International Federation has never before devoted such a significant percentage of its annual appeal to supporting health programmes,” secretary general Markku Niskala said in a statement.
”This reflects a profound change in the approach of an organisation which has built its reputation on responding to natural disasters,” he said.
In 2000, only 20% of the federation’s budget — which is used to manage the activities of national Red Cross and Red Crescent outlets worldwide — was devoted to health care.
Despite increased efforts by other aid agencies to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria, the three diseases infected more people this year than ever before, said Alvaro Bermejo, head of health for the Red Cross federation.
”This is showing us that the response today is not adequate enough,” he told a news conference when asked why the Red Cross was focusing more on an area that is already covered by the World Health Organisation and UNAids.
”We believe one of the things that is missing … is a big enough scale at the community level to respond to a global emergency,” said Bermejo.
The impact of diseases such as Aids means there is a lesser need to distinguish between health issues and natural disasters, he added.
The main focus for next year will be HIV/Aids in Africa, where 79,3-million Swiss francs is needed, the Red Cross said.
”What is more catastrophic for a person than to have Aids?” asked Massimo Barra, a board member of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Turberculosis and Malaria, which was established by governments and advocacy groups.
”This is a catastrophe, a natural catastrophe,” he told reporters at the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva.
Funds for health programmes in Asia — particularly Afghanistan and North Korea, which require 60-million Swiss francs — will be second in line, the organisation said.
Although there is a shift in focus towards health, the Red Cross remains committed to building up defences against natural disasters.
”Fewer people may have died as a result of natural disasters last year but over 600-million people’s lives were disrupted,” noted Abbas Gullet, director of disaster management.
In addition, the 2004 appeal will help to strengthen the presence of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in the developing world.
This year, the federation managed to secure 75% of its revised budget of 212-million Swiss francs from donor countries.
It also launched a series of emergency appeals including the largest — worth 30,9-million Swiss francs — for the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. — Sapa-AFP