Dear Mr. Panche Toshkovski, Minister of Internal Affairs,

Dear Mr. Ljupcho Dimovski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Political System,

Honorable members of Parliament, representatives of state institutions, universities, international agencies and organizations,

Dear Mr. Gabriele Andreoli, President of the Institute for Advanced Studies and Cooperation from the Vatican,

Distinguished guests and media representatives,

It is both a special honor and pleasure for me to welcome you to this event, organized under the patronage of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Panche Toshkovski, and aimed at presenting our cooperation platform with state actors and offering ideas for the realization of our mutual commitments.

As an auxiliary to the state institutions, the Red Cross, in accordance with its mission and mandate, continuously contributes to addressing various challenges to improve the welfare of citizens, particularly in the area of providing a response to emergencies.

Some of these services are provided solely by the Red Cross, while others are provided with authorization and on behalf of the state. Additionally, some services complement and support the efforts of state institutions and other organizations.

Today, it is with great pleasure that we promote a platform that affirms the best practices, knowledge, and experiences of the Red Cross in providing services during emergency situations and peacetime conditions.

Even more importantly, this document highlights the comparative advantages and competencies of the Red Cross’s work in emergency situations.

Through this platform, we extend an invitation to enhance our partnership with state institutions, especially in several key areas. In the coming period, we will work on signing specific agreements with the state authorities, which will regulate the obligations and powers of the Red Cross in improving the crisis management system.

We advocate for the establishment of a body for cooperation with the members of Parliament, with the aim of promoting and enacting legislative solutions that will create a better environment for humanitarian work in the country.

We are particularly interested in building a comprehensive system for the organization, coordination, and mobilization of humanitarian aid at both national and international levels.

We are convinced that the volunteer potential we possess is a significant precondition for building a more efficient system for responding to emergencies.

Using our volunteer network, we have created units and teams for disaster response, such as the National Intervention Team for Disaster Response, National Teams for First Aid and Psychosocial Support, and the Team – Macedonia, composed of citizens/volunteers who assist during emergencies. In the future, these teams would play a crucial role in shaping the structure of the future national crisis management system.

We will also continue to invest in nurturing partnerships where humanitarian diplomacy will serve as a means for advocacy to achieve the goals of this platform, as well as to protect the well-being and dignity of people whose fundamental human rights and freedoms are at risk.

Dear,

As we approach the significant anniversary of 80 years of the Red Cross, we are proud of our past. We have always been there when needed. However, we owe this privilege to the generations of volunteers and employees who have built our organization over the years, to the citizens, to our partners and supporters, and especially to the support of the institutions, the Government, and Parliament. Dear members of Parliament and ministers present, we thank you for that.

Today, it is our duty to prepare the organization for the future generations. We are using innovative approaches, learning from experiences, designing new products and services, and transforming in line with the modern trends.

Recently, we started a process of change called “Transformation 28,” aimed at helping us adapt our work to respond to the dynamics of the external environment, with a special focus on digitalization and artificial intelligence as catalysts for development.

In this process, our ambitions are defined in terms of taking on greater roles and responsibilities in order to collectively make the country a better place to live.

THANK YOU.