The Spanish Red Cross (SRC) pledges the highest level assistance to itsVietnamese counterpart’s activities including disaster prevention andresponse, said Chief Representative of the Hanoi-based SRC officeIgnacio Garcia.

The Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) hasplayed a key role in humanitarian activities as well as in disasterprevention and response, Garcia continued at a workshop jointly held bythe VRC and the SRC office in Hanoi on May 18.

AsVietnam is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, the VRC needs toinclude disaster prevention and response activities in its long-termaction programmes, he added.

He also suggested thesociety increase communication, deepen coordination with relevantagencies, and call for support from domestic and foreign organisations.

The workshop drew representatives of theInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),State agencies, and the disaster-prone provinces of Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh,Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai in central Vietnam.

They were provided with information on the IFRC’sinternational disaster response tools, Vietnam’s Law on natural disasterprevention and control, and the Government’s coordination mechanismswith social organisations in the field.

Participantsreviewed ways to promote the efficiency of disaster responsecoordination between IFRC forces and Vietnamese local authorities and toexpand the activities and efficiency of provincial disaster responseteams.

Founded in 1946, the VRC is currently amember of the National Steering Committee for Natural DisasterPrevention and Control. It has set up a national disaster response team,26 provincial and district teams, and 158 others at the communal level.

It implements nearly 30 international projects oncommunity-based disaster risk management every year and has called forsome 9 million USD worth of relief for other countries to assist indisaster aftermaths thus far.-VNA