Spain reaffirms its support for the International Committee of the Red Cross to continue tackling humanitarian challenges

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya, held a meeting today in Madrid with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer. Before the bilateral meeting, they attended a round table with representatives from non-governmental humanitarian organisations on the principles of humanitarian action in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting is part of the framework for frequent dialogue between the President of the ICRC and the heads of Spanish diplomacy, of which there have been several with the different Spanish Ministers for Foreign Affairs since Peter Maurer took on his current position. The previous meeting between Minister González Laya and Peter Maurer took place in Geneva in February 2020.

On this occasion, the minister and the President of the ICRC spoke about Spain's cooperation with the ICRC. Since 2018, Spain has been a member of the Group of Major Donors to the ICRC, which is one of our country's main humanitarian partners.

President Maurer had the chance to see first-hand the state of the preparations of the Spanish Humanitarian Diplomacy Strategy, which is now at a very advanced stage and will soon be opened up to a consultation process with civil society.

Another question of great interest to the Red Cross and which Spain fully supports is the Protection of Medical Personnel during Armed Conflict. Spain actively participated in the drafting of Resolution 2286 (2016) on this matter, and its fifth anniversary is particularly important at a time in which the protection of medical personnel takes on even greater importance due to the pandemic.

The two leaders also discussed the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccination process, a question that particularly affects the ICRC, which has focused its action on areas and contexts where it has greater added value. This includes the vaccination of people affected by armed conflict and other violent situations.

Arancha González Laya and Peter Maurer also exchanged impressions on the humanitarian situation of the main regional crises, such as the Sahel, Syria, Palestine, Venezuela and Central America. Specifically, the minister had the chance to inform President Maurer of the solidarity event that Spain, which holds the Rotating Presidency of the Support Platform for the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS), will organise together with other regional agents to mobilise support to improve the situation of forced displaced persons and host communities in the region of Central America and Mexico.

-NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION-

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