The Red Cross of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia signed a humanitarian cooperation agreement for the 2017-2022 period in Hanoi on September 22, aiming to reduce the vulnerability for people and develop the Red Cross and Red Crescent movements.

President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu

The trio will send national disaster response teams, including experienced officials, to support relief operations and promptly provide material and spiritual assistance.

They pledged to encourage and create the best conditions for cities and provinces, especially those with shared border, to increase exchanges and establish twin ties as well as share experience in improving community-based healthcare, providing clean and hygienic water, and donating blood.

President of the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu said the three sides have carried out a number of cooperation activities over the past time such as holding regular delegation exchanges and providing disaster relief for people in the shared border areas.

Particularly, the VRC has launched activities to provide medical check-ups and treatment in Laos and Cambodia. The association has aided 150,000 USD for the Lao counterpart to pilot the cow bank project while sending officials to train community-based disaster risk management for the neighbouring country.

President of the Lao Red Cross Khamhung and Secretary General of the Cambodia Red Cross Pum Chanthini highly valued the agreement as laying down a foundation for the three countries to further reinforce humanitarian cooperation activities.

This is the third time the Red Cross Societies of the three countries signed the cooperation agreement. The first and second were inked in 2006 and 2010. The documents focused on popularisation of humanitarian values, natural disaster prevention, public healthcare, anti-diseases, and capability improvement./.

( VNF/VNA )