Iranian Red Crescent Society

Disaster Law meeting Kuwait 10-11 June 2015

Number of Provincial branch of the IRCS: 31 Total number of branches and Representative Office : 354

Peace Building Peace Building

Adam’ Children are members of one and the same figure Cause they are from the same jewel in creation When fortune strikes one member with agony Saadi, Iranian Poet How, then, can other members rest relaxed? (1184 – 1291 A.D.)

IRCS in brief Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRCS) Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRCS)

• Founded in 1922 • Former Red Lion and Sun Society (Before 1979)• Recognised by the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and the International

Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Former League) in 1923

Disaster Preparedness

More than 200,000 relief workers, 430 relief warehouses (300,000 Sq. meters), 2500 ambulances and light and heavy vehicles, 17 relief helicopters, 283 road, 205 coastal, 12 marine, 45 mountain R&R Posts are part of the IRCS relief & rescue capacity.

An IRCS relief worker is training a sniffer dog in one of its 22 Training Centers.

Disaster Response

Saving lives is a milestone in the IRCS R&R Response. In every harsh situation, it is the relief workers and volunteers who, through their swift actions, show that they care.

Disaster

Recovery

The IRCS International Disaster Response Programs:-The IRCS actively involved in International Disaster Response Programs in regional and International context esp within last 5 years-The Pakistan flood and earthquake in 2010, the Somalia Famine in 2011, the Syrian crisis within last 5 years, the Iraqi crisis, the Palestine and Ghaza crisis, Fukushima tsunami in Japan, Libya crisis, and recently in Yemen, Nepal earthquake - In national level the IRCS is responding to the events and disasters taking place in the country focusing in earthquake, floods, road safety and so on benefitting the capacity mobilized by the youth and volunteers -

The IRCS International Disaster law initiatives:-After the 2004 Bam earthquake the government declared the open sky for 10 days and all international aids and personnel entered into Bam without the normal procedure-It has been a custom in Iranian law-The IRCS constitution approved by Iranian Parliament and it is now the national law. Article 3 and 7 urges all the internal ministries and organizations such as Ministry of housing, road and transportation, customs, air aviation, marine and … to cooperate with the IRCS during the disasters. MOFA and Interior to work closely with the IRCS-At the academia level disaster law is part of the curriculium of the disaster medicine PHD course

International Urban Disaster Risk Reduction

• Tehran Call For Action May 2015• 1. Commit to rise to the challenge of increasing urban disaster risks around the world by

using and enhancing IFRC and its member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ institutional and operational capacities in urban disaster risk reduction and management.

• 2. Encourage all the Components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to prioritize and invest knowledge and resources to support urban disaster risk reduction and management through various ways and means, including through the effective use of innovation, science and technology, at national, regional and international levels.

• 3.Call upon all the national and local governments and stakeholders including the UN system, academia, civil society organizations, private sector and media, to engage and support building urban community resilience, ,in line with the relevant international frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) and the ISDR Resilient Cities Campaign.

The Disaster Law Initiative

• The Disaster Law addresses the issues in disaster times such as: facilitation and acceleration of disaster response during the natural disasters

• disaster preparedness in national levels to be facilitated by legal point of view

• To have access to the victims and beneficiaries during the disaster times

• To encourage the governments to facilitate the disaster response programs

• To adopt the disaster law treaty if possible as the desired treaty for international disaster relief

The Challenges:

• The IRCS supports the idea and initiative of disaster law in different levels

• The cooperation of the affected NS and authorities is highly needed in response times

• In disaster situation the responsible bodies trying to tackle the situation but in other types of crisis like we are facing in the region how we need to coordinate and cooperate???

• security is a great challenge in regional crisis.• The humanitarian aid and initiative sometimes becomes politicized

and its difficult to make acceleration in providing disaster relief assistance

• To have access to the beneficiaries and victims is a big challenge in many disasters

The Challenges:

• The lack of support or transparency of International law to support the humanitarian aid where rejected or threatened by third party

• in some countries the laws are existed but the main challenge is how to implement the law?? Do we need a new law or to make the existing laws in to the action and make them operational

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