Malaysia As Asean Chairman Can Generate Humanitarian Support - ICRC DG

By Azzah Mohamad Som and Tengku Faezah Tengku Yusof KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed confidence in Malaysia’s chairmanship of Asean next year, especially in the field of humanitarian support. Director-General Yves Daccord (right) said that Malaysia was a country that supported humanitarian action and was able to generate political and financial support as well as help its neighbours. With the chairmanship, Malaysia was in a position to promote regional unity, stability and prosperity as it would seek solutions to issues concerning regional peace and security, he told Bernama in an interview. Daccord was here for the Sultan Nazrin Shah Lecture Series where he presented a paper entitled "From Baghdad to Bangui, from Moscow to Kuala Lumpur: Is there still a role for humanitarian actors?" Malaysia took over the Asean chairmanship from Myanmar and has pledged to steer the 10-member grouping towards an integrated and people-centred Asean Community (AC), which is scheduled to be established in December next year. Daccord said he believed that Malaysia could ensure that every country in Asean shared the same reading of humanitarian problems by having good coordination and understanding in terms of humanitarian action. He said Asean was not just about Asean and emphasised that it was crucial for the bloc to understand what was happening in the world because it also had an impact on Asean member countries. "More importantly, Asean countries should collaborate well with the key actors who can do the job (humanitarian action) and here the national Red Cross in Asean, all national Red Crescent are central to be able to do that, and ICRC as the organisation," he said. The ICRC is a humanitarian institution based in Geneva, and has been given the mandate under the Geneva Convention to protect victims of international and internal armed conflicts, who include war wounded, prisoners, refugees, civilians, and other non-combatants. Its regional delegation in Kuala Lumpur covers Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. (photoBernama) -- BERNAMA