ICRC, ERCA sign 212.4mln birr operational cooperation agreement

Addis Ababa February 2, 2023 (FBC) – International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Ethiopian Red Cross Association (ERCA) have signed 212 million birr operational cooperation agreement.

The ERCS signed an operational cooperation agreement amounting to over 214.4 million birr with the ICRC to address mandate-oriented partnership interventions in conflict-prone areas, mainly in Tigray, Amhara, Afar, Oromia, and Benshangul-Gumuz regions.

The agreement is said vital to restore family link and support economic security, health and water supplies in war affected communities in northern part of Ethiopia.

The partnership will keep working for effectively meet the escalating requirements of the humanitarian needs, ERCA said.

Additionally, it will improve membership and volunteer management while preserving lives and livelihoods, fostering community resilience, and saving lives. Furthermore, it enhances communication and image-building while engaging in humanitarian diplomacy.

The agreement was signed by Getachew Ta’a, secretary general of ERCS, and Nicolas Von Arx, Head of the ICRC delegation in Ethiopia.

Getachew announced that the agreement will improve the ERCS and ICRC’s long-standing engagement in combined humanitarian operations and capacity-building programs to address the needs of those impacted by violent situations in Ethiopia and by conflicts in the area.

The ERCS secretary-general added that their collaboration “is a paradigm of ongoing activity to build capacity, rehabilitate, and integrate the violence-affected persons into the community.”

Nicolas Von Arx, the Head of the ICRC delegation in Ethiopia, stated that the ERCS and the ICRC have mutual mandates in terms of responding to emergencies.

He continued by saying that our institutions collaborate to help those afflicted by war and other violent situations by offering relief and aid.