The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) today, Thursday, May 8, celebrates World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day under the slogan “On the Side of Humanity.”

Field Coordinator at the Communication and Media Unit, Mohammed Said, stated to Enab Baladi that, on the occasion of World Red Cross Day, a meeting was held between the President of the Syrian Red Crescent Organization, Hazem Baqleh, with heads of units from the organization’s headquarters, and boards of directors from provincial branches in Syria.

During the meeting, the topics that will lead the next phase were discussed, with the most important related to reconstruction and recovery, and working on projects to assist residents who were affected in the past years.

Said emphasized that the slogan of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day “On the Side of Humanity” reinforces the primary role of the volunteers in the Syrian Red Crescent, who have been targeted while performing their humanitarian work during the recent events that Syria has gone through.

The issue of “martyrs of the organization” is one of the priorities that the organization focuses on to stand with the families of victims. The latest was volunteer Mohanad Jakish, who was targeted while performing his humanitarian duty last year (on the Syrian-Lebanese border), according to Mohammed Said.

Said clarified that the organization is following up on corruption cases that were exercised during the previous regime, focusing on transparency and oversight to portray the organization’s real image that is close to the Syrian community.

Said stressed that the work carried out by the organization is based on its core goal: “humanity,” in addition to the fact that field workers and volunteers are protected under international humanitarian law, which the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has asserted with its slogan “Humanity First and Protection of Personnel Second.”

Director of the Media and Communication Unit in the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Omar Maliki, told Enab Baladi that the organization focused on World Red Cross Day on introducing the International Movement of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

In addition to discussing the goals of the organization’s work, the most important being humanity, neutrality, independence, impartiality, unity, and universality.

Maliki confirmed that the organization gives the utmost importance to injured and missing volunteers while performing their duties.

The President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Kate Forbes, and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, issued a joint statement mourning their colleagues who were killed while attempting to save lives.

The statement included a message to the international community stating, “Every attack on a humanitarian worker is an attack on the community they serve, and a betrayal of the laws designed to protect civilians and alleviate suffering in conflicts.”

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement alone lost 38 staff members and volunteers in 2024.

The statement deemed that 2025 would be “the worst if this horrific trend continues,” due to the loss of ten colleagues working in humanitarian fields affiliated with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement so far.

The statement held states and parties to the conflicts directly responsible for reversing this concerning and dangerous trend by protecting humanitarian workers, respecting international humanitarian law, and defending our shared humanity.

The International Committee of the Red Cross in Syria confirmed its continued commitment to providing humanitarian support to those in need and that partnership with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent remains a cornerstone in responding to the increasing needs for the past 14 years, according to the Syrian state news agency (SANA).

In a press briefing on the occasion of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, the committee praised the role of millions of volunteers and workers in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement worldwide, who dedicate their efforts daily to assist those affected by crises and alleviate their suffering.

The committee stressed that it, in collaboration with its partners in Syria, continues to work to meet urgent needs and support essential services and vital infrastructure within the framework of early recovery efforts and restoring livelihoods, confirming that their neutral and impartial humanitarian work represents a lifeline for those affected.

The committee concluded by paying tribute to the souls of humanitarian workers who were killed while fulfilling their duty, reminding that any attack against humanitarian workers is a violation of international humanitarian law and an assault on the communities they serve, and that protecting them is a priority that cannot be postponed.

The Syrian transitional government issued a decision on December 19, 2024, appointing Mohammed Hazem Baqleh as the Director of the Syrian Red Crescent Organization, replacing Khaled Hboubati who had held the position since 2016.

Since Hboubati took the presidency of the Red Crescent in 2016, the organization has been directly linked to the regime, losing any sign of independence after 2011, when the regime’s government indefinitely froze the elections of the Red Crescent, disposed of independent administration members, and dismissed qualified staff, according to a report published by Foreign Affairs magazine in September 2018.

According to the report, the organization, under his presidency, contributed indirectly to supporting the regime by about $30 billion, part of which was used to pay the salaries of its forces and supplies for the intelligence services, by leveraging the Red Crescent as an exclusive gateway to obtain aid funds, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs required all relief agencies to sign an agreement with the Red Crescent as the official government partner.