Cambodian Red Cross – Everywhere, for Everyone
I am so happy today to once again take part in this ceremony, which annually rallies on 8 May. This year is so special that it happens on the 153rd anniversary of the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, under a theme “Cambodian Red Cross, Everywhere for Everyone.” On behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, I would take this time to express my sincere thanks for participation of Excellencies, Ladies and compatriots making this annual event a real and symbolic solidarity between those who needs help and those who can help. Our meeting today is not only for a few thousand people here but for the whole country for it seeks funding from generous people to provide to those who needs it. It could be a chance for meeting between those who need and those who can help with those needs.
Please allow me to take this auspicious occasion, on behalf of the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia, to express gratitude to actions taken so far by the Cambodian Red Cross (CRC) in the past years. Especially, actions to provide directly for victims and people with hardships. We have organized this event at a time that the country is suffering a prolonged drought caused by unusual heat wave that, already May now, many areas are lacking water for consumption, and others are short of water to start cultivation. Joined efforts pooled by the Cambodian armed forces, (national and sub-national) authorities, and the Cambodian Red Cross have provided effective means to deal with hardship.
Sharing Natures, CRC’s Four Core Actions
The meeting today also indicates national solidarity and cooperation rendered by concerned partners, especially international partners, and interdependence between state and private sectors. I would take this time to express my sincere appreciation and thanks for charitable persons for providing CRC through this event and by their own actions to assist directly those who need assistances. We can say that sharing is a way carried out the world over. Reviewing the past and up to the present, no country in this world stop using this form of sharing, only that there are two different forms.
Firstly, it is a sharing as an obligation defined by law. Those who have resource ability pay tax on their businesses to the state, from which the Royal Government will use those tax money for development and resolving problems that the country requires. However, the art of sharing we are doing here today and/or ever before is a humanitarian act, through which those who need help and those who can help will link together. I am taking this opportune moment to express my sincere thanks to everyone – Excellencies, Ladies, Lok Chumteav, Lok Oknha, ladies and gentlemen for your contributions to help face up with challenges that are happening in our country. Our action also extends from time to time to help with people struck by disasters in other countries as well, be it earthquakes, flood or other crisis.
I also approve four core strategies listed out CRC President in her address – ranging from disasters management, health in community, promoting founding principles of humanitarian value, institutional building and development of CRC resources, to active participation with the Royal Government in building and developing the country. They are community programs and projects in provinces to provide drinking water and hygiene, petty cash loan free of interest, wells digging, reservoirs restoring, etc. to reduce disaster risks at community level that are aligned with projects carried out by the Royal Government […]
CRC Works Through National and Sub-National Authority
Also on this occasion, I thank, on behalf of the Royal Government, deeply HM the King Samdech Preah Boromneat Preah Norodom Sihamoni for his consideration and care for the people’s sufferings and making regular contribution to the Cambodian Red Cross, and through his own visit to local villages. I also thank Samdech Me, the Queen Mother, for staying as Honorary President of the Cambodian Red Cross giving it strength to go from one stage to another and widen solidarity. I also take this chance to express once again my sincere thanks for Buddhist monks, charitable persons, and the Cambodian Red Cross scouts for their humanitarian actions and assistances everywhere.
This theme “CRC – Everywhere for Everyone,” … seems to be fall behind CRC’s true actions. I am proud that action of CRC being everywhere for everyone has in fact realized in the country. However, the motto ascertains spirit of CRC presence for everyone, and thus it will be more active. We have seen that every time natural disasters hit, there have always been busy actions taken in timely manner in the field by the Cambodian Red Cross. That was possible because there was a link between CRC structures with sub-national level authorities, and they work together. CRC has been wise to work closely with national and sub-national authorities of the country.
I am calling on CRC to go on with this model of work and I hope, as I said earlier, of the determined contribution of a sum of one million USD, from the contribution that you are making today, for the hospital of Kuntha Bopha where many parents are seeking medical helps for their children. I also convey my joy and support for the process of CRC in these last years, focusing on providing water for consumption for the people through digging wells, reservoirs, and lately, take these actions to a higher level at this drought affecting time. CRC may continue to use fund contributed today and at later date to address infrastructural need, especially water related projects – wells, reservoirs, for local community.
That will be a true and never-dry-out source of assistance. Even of in the future, CRC could not raise money for that purpose, people already have access to wells and reservoirs they built and provided for them. They will not dry out. I am calling on everyone to take synchronous actions – CRC, state institutions and armed forces to continue with what they do to provide people with water. It is not a simple matter. We need to take prompt actions in the whole country. I hope that what we are doing today will assist our people in dealing with their need and getting us ready for following years.
Studying Package of Responses to Climate Change
… My appeal goes along with works carried out by CRC role and competency to help public authority in the field of humanitarianism. I hope that understanding, participation from charitable people will continue (so that CRC will be able to) resolve concerns and hardships of people. Humanitarian works goes to no limit, while disasters also has no boundary. We must therefore take prompt actions at national level and with international cooperation in partnerships. On this occasion, I can assure the public that the Royal Government is drawing a study of a package of responses to impacts of climate change. Why do we need to have a package of responses like that?
So far, we have been making efforts to deal with whatever comes on the spot. In the time to come, our work will be gaining its comprehension as we are putting into operation campaign to draw up impacts caused from climate change, heat wave included. We may look at new seed that will be resilient to higher temperature, for instance. That wells were at seven meters so far, we needed to bring new ball holes to a depth deeper than that. We may also look at unprecedented calamity such as earthquake. We will need to find out should there be one, with housing conditions as these days, what would happen? Only with strong wind, many hundreds of homes blown down. Will it be safe or not that our people to go on building homes where they put wooden frame on concrete stilts. Shall there be a new architectural design from which people must learn build their homes?
Hotels and state buildings, for instance, must start working on how to build them to make them safe with seismic unpredictable movement. Our country never has problem of earthquake. However, countries that never suffer, some did now. The Mekong River and encroachment of sea water for its lowest level this time of year. Sea water, because its level is higher than the sinking level of the Mekong, has made its meeting point with fresh water deeper to some 100 Kilometers in Vietnam. We also have this problem in Kompot and Svay Rieng. These are issues that we need understand better and come up with concerted responses […]