On 18-21 November, the IFRC held its General Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya. Among the most important decisions taken at the Assembly was the adoption of a new ten-year “Strategy 2020” to guide the work of the National Societies and the IFRC Secretariat.
Strategy 2020 sets out ambitious plans for “doing more, doing better, and reaching further” in the IFRC’s key areas of work. Its first strategic aim is to “save lives, protect livelihoods, and strengthen recovery disasters and crises.” In this connection, the strategy observes:
“Appropriate laws are crucial to ensure the speed and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance. Therefore, we emphasize national legal preparedness and international legal cooperation through the development and promotion of disaster laws, principles, and rules. These seek to reduce operational barriers and strengthen the role of communities to ensure that relief and recovery measures are carried out efficiently in a manner respectful of the dignity and rights of affected people.”
In line with its second aim, to “enable health and safe living,” the Strategy also commits the IFRC and its members to advocate for “laws, government policies and incentives for risk reduction measures.”