Rio+20 - Red Cross Red Crescent Urges Investment in Resilience and Women

Rio De Janeiro (ots/PRNewswire) -

IFRC Statement on Rio+20

One message rings loud and true as Rio +20 comes to a close: we
must listen to and invest in people's abilities to bring about long
lasting development in their communities. We cannot count on
governments alone to solve the world's problems and meet the needs of
the most vulnerable.

The "we" refers to all partners needed for strengthening
resilience and development, namely civil society organizations, Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the UN, the private sector, local
communities and governments. We all must work closely as a team and
make sure that resources reach the most vulnerable. Our innovative
partnership with the global business community and the World Economic
Forum-through the Friends of Rio call to action-is an example of
converting this rhetoric into action. We urge Governments to provide
an enabling environment for this and the many other sustainable
development initiatives.

Sustainable development will not be shaped by a document that
comes out of Rio +20 but determined by how well we mobilize the power
of humanity for action. The message and the needs are clear -
vulnerable and marginalised populations need our support.

The best support we can give is to work closely with people and
their communities, often through Red Cross and Red Crescent
volunteers, who have the knowledge and initiative to drive long-term
solutions that promote resilience and in turn, sustain development.

In fact, one theme that emerged again and again at the Rio +20
Conference events and discussions was recognizing women as key
stakeholders in development approaches.

Take the pressing issue of food security for example: in some
countries 60% of the agricultural labour force is made up of women.
As fathers, brothers and sons leave rural areas to seek work and
secure income, the focus on women and support for smallholder farmers
has become urgent. Breaking the chronic cycle of food insecurity
requires policies and laws that protect women's rights and also to
facilitate access to farmland, favorable small-business loans and -
crucially - to education and equipment.

Creating the space for women to a play greater role in their
environment builds resilience. Building resilience creates strong
communities; strong communities create strong economies and
ultimately sustain development. Bottom line, building resilience is
key to protecting long-term development gains.

As part of our investment to build resilience, the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is committed to
allocating up to 10% of appeals for disaster risk reduction. We are
now calling on others - many of whom have been talking these past
eight days about sustainability - to also commit more funding towards
long-term efforts to build resilience.

Cutting through the clutter of tens of thousands of people,
dozens of important issues and the debate over the outcomes of
Rio+20, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies has one thing to say after our time in Rio: governments,
donors, the corporate sector and the humanitarian sector must invest
more in strengthening the resilience of people and their communities
most at risk to crises and disasters.

Finally, we would like to applaud and thank the Brazilian Red
Cross for their support and the Brazilian government for creating the
space for an event that brought the world's attention to sustainable
development.

ots Originaltext: IFRC
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Susie Chippendale, +41799592536, susie.chippendale@ifrc.org