Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…

INDIAN OCEAN: This morning the USGS detected a 8.6 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, followed by several strong aftershocks. Reports indicate that unlike the devastating 2004 earthquake and tsunami, the initial quake was located farther from land and was from horizontal plate motion (that create reduced tsunami activity), resulting in no significant tsunami or quake damage. IFRC staff in Indonesia report that the shaking lasted about three minutes, and the Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross) is working to calm the public, monitor the situation, and is on standby for assistance.

JAPAN: 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Empress Shoken Fund, which was created in 1912 by the Empress of Japan to support Red Cross and Red Crescent activities worldwide. Over the past century, the fund has grown substantially thanks to contributions from the Japanese government, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Imperial Family and the Meiji Jingu shrine. Each year, the Fund supports a wide range of initiatives, from tuberculosis programs to first-aid training, from blood collection to community projects. Since the inception of the fund, more than 150 Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies have benefited from the philanthropic initiative.

SWITZERLAND: This week the IFRC, together with the United Nations World Food Program and World Vision, is hosting the 2012 Fleet Forum in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 2003, the Fleet Forum seeks to add value to transport effectiveness by providing leadership and support in the areas of road safety, environmental impact, and cost efficiency. This year’s conference will bring together over seventy stakeholders from aid and development, the commercial sector and academia to stimulate a sharing of best practices in humanitarian fleet management.

GLOSSARY:

IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

PHOTO:
West Sumatra after the April 11th Earthquake, Palang Merah Indonesia Public Relations Staff