DEEPER REGIONAL COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF RESTORING FAMILY LINKS
For three consecutive years the Macedonian Red Cross is hosting such an event, which this year was named as a Regional meeting on * Migrant crisis – a new challenge for deeper regional cooperation in the field of restoring family links *. The initiative this year further expressed the need together to speak out about the activities that the Red Cross are implementing in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross in the plan of restoring family links to migrants who are still present in the country, and also in all countries. Of course the purpose of the meeting was not to go back on the past year and a half, when we had moments of genuine migrant crisis and the number of about one million migrants who have passed through the so-called Balkan route, but to focus on this year where officially Balkan route was closed, and the problem of migrants who remain in the country which remains a major challenge for our national society.
The specifics of the work in the field of restoring family links, if we target success it largely depends on mutual cooperation, services request in national societies with all other entities involved in the entire operation to assist the migrants. Macedonian Red Cross because of the results on this plan that were achieved in the past, has been recognized as a partner by the organization * Save the children *, which this year funded the activities of the Tracing Service, including this Regional Meeting which was attended by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Red Cross of Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Bulgaria, and representatives of all partner institutions and organizations with which the Red Cross operates in the field, such as the Ministry of Labour and social policy, CMC, Ministry of Interior, UNHCR, UNICEF, Save the children, SOS, Lastrada, IOM, and Legis nun.
Besides the opportunity to exchange experiences in the region relating to activities with migrants restoring family links, meeting largely devoted to discussions on finding ways for mutual cooperation of the Red Cross as the lead agency for the implementation of activities under this plan other entities that are present in the field.
By the Secretary General of the Macedonian Red Cross, PhD Sait Saiti in his welcoming address to the participants was stressed the importance of this sector in the Red Cross, and in particular the readiness of the organization * Save the children * to assist in the realization of these deep humanitarian activities that our national society is performing in cooperation and ongoing support of the International committee of the Red Cross.
