Dear,

On behalf of the Red Cross of the Republic of North Macedonia, allow me to welcome you on our event which is an announcement of our aspirations to grow and change in the period ahead and an invitation to all our partners and supporters to be part of this process which aims the Red Cross enhance the efficiency in the operation and to enable us to be closer to our service beneficiaries.

Ever since its formation on international level, the Red Cross has been an organization that is a driver of positive changes in society to ensure a dignified and humane attitude towards people, regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious, political or other affiliation. Throughout our history, the Red Cross always strives to go one step further, to do something more, promoting solidarity and humanity, peace, tolerance and coexistence as basic foundations for supporting people who find themselves at risk as a result of wars, armed conflicts, migrations, disasters, or face health and social challenges. Over the years, our organization has constantly evolved and changed in an effort to be prepared to respond to modern challenges, always I compliance with our fundamental principles and the provisions of the Geneva Conventions that govern the work of the Red Cross in peacetime and emergencies.

In the period ahead, many changes are expected in the way we live and in the types of crises and vulnerabilities we are likely to face. The world around us is changing in complex and interconnected ways that affect the overall social trends, with increasing risks and challenges for the population. Even greater demographic transitions are expected, which may cause discord and incite social tensions. The ongoing migrations and movements of population can lead to significant changes in our social structure, and place an additional burden on resources and social cohesion, which can result in isolation of many communities.

Political and economic developments can also result in significant shifts and differences from traditional trends that can lead to unexpected social changes. But probably the biggest and most dramatic challenge ahead will be dealing with climate change as a result of environmental degradation, the frequency of disasters and their impact on people’s lives. All these climatic, economic, and social events are expected to lead to a potentially greater vulnerability of the population, which will require an increased engagement of the humanitarian sector to respond to contemporary challenges.

In such a humanitarian and social environment, the Red Cross of RNM, as a socially responsible and largest humanitarian organization in the Republic of North Macedonia, always strives to respond to complex situations in order to ensure that what we do is relevant, focused on the people who have the greatest needs for support. For this purpose, in our organization we have initiated a change process called Transformation-28, which should help us better deal with existing and possible challenges by increasing our efficiency and improving our work in order to be more relevant in providing our services for the most vulnerable population in the country.

We hope this process of transformations will help us build a new concept of leadership and decision-making where local communities will be the center of our changes. Our development framework promotes diversity and inclusion for all people who recognize the values of the Red Cross and offers opportunities for collaboration with our partners and stakeholders to enable positive changes in our country but above all to help us reach easier and faster the marginalized and communities where others cannot.

It gives me special pleasure to invite all our members, volunteers, staff and partners to join us on our transformational journey that unites in the spirit of solidarity and humanity and challenges us all to be more successful, innovative in the interest of vulnerable categories of population which we serve.

Let me finally thank you for the overall and unreserved support you give us, with the hope that our development and our ambitions will grow into results that will mean better services for the target beneficiaries, saved lives, smiling faces of our fellow citizens.

Thank you.