On the 31th of August, the International Academy of Red Cross& Red Crescent, co-founded by Chinese Red Cross and Soochow University, was formally established in Tian Ci Zhuang Campus of Soochow University.

 

Leaders attended the ceremony include: Chen Zhu, Vice Chairman of Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Chairman of the Red Cross Society of China and Co-chairman of the Red Cross Society and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; Francesco Roca, Chairman of RSCS and IFRC; Wang Jiang, Deputy Governor of the People’s Government of Jiangsu Province; Thierry Mayr, Director of International Committee of the Red Cross East Asia Regional Representative Office; Wang Rupeng, the Vice-Chairman and member of the Red Cross Party Group; Li Yaping, the Deputy Secretary of Suzhou Municipal CPC Committee; Jiang Yong, the Secretary of the Party Committee of our school; and Xiong Sidong, President of Soochow University.

 

Presented at the activity also included Leaders from Ministry of education, Ministry of Finance, National health Commission, Emergency Management Department, National Agency for International Development Cooperation; leaders of Suzhou People’s Congress, Jiangsu Province and Government; leading officials of the China Red Cross Foundation, Provincial and municipal Red Cross society and China Primary Health Care foundation; Entrepreneur representatives from Shenzhen Ya Pai Investment Group, Soochow University’s alumni association, Suzhou alumni association of Yangze River Business school.

 

In Chen Zhu’s keynote speech, entitled as “Build and share Humanity education together contribute wisdom and power for practicing the Community of shared future for mankind”, he pointed out that Xi Jinping, the General Secretary, wined close attention and wide recognizing from international society for he proposed the thought of co-construction of the Community of shared future and mankind. The idea gives directions for creating one more civilized human future together and reached a consensus. He hoped that the Red Cross International College will be the platform and base for researches on the Red Cross Movement, personnel training and cultural diffusion of the Red Cross, communication and cooperation of International humanity.

 

He demanded that institutions should put more emphasis on and enhance the research of humanity problems. They should establish the comprehensive humanitarian science system including Emergency Management, Disaster Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Gereology, Community development, Community work and so on, optimizing Humanitarian service supply further and offering multifaceted and dimensional humanitarian movement’s project. It is necessary to underline and strengthen the construction of legal system and cultivation of working ability of humanitarian work team. Furthermore, the institutions ought to serve the construction of ‘The Road and Belt’, carry out the cultivation of internationalized talents, education on Humanity and training on social work skills publicly, facing member volunteer and society.

 

Wang Rupeng, the vice-chairman, and Jiang Yong, the secretary, addressed speeches to sponsor separately. They introduced the background, meaning and future plan of RSCS and Soochow University’s co-construction of the international Academy, showing sincere gratitude for the passionate support of all aspects of school’s construction.

 

Wan Lijun, the deputy director of department of Sports, Arts and Health from the Ministry of Education, pointed out that the establishment of the international academy is an effective exploration for universities to innovate modes of running schools and for push on the Red Cross’s cultivation of talents. She hoped that college would insist socialistic direction of running schools and play a role in setting one example and leading the way, establishing it as one model. The carry-out of Red Cross spiritual education and fundamental task of morality and nurturing should be combined together. The education on core socialist values and Red Cross spiritual education should be combined together. She also voiced that the academy must carry out the educating theory based on human, exploit the professional advantages of subjects and offer active support and service for the development of domestic school’s Health educating work.

 

In the speech, Francesco Roca congratulated on the establishment of the International Academy of Red Cross& Red Crescent and showed gratitude for inviting him to be Honorary President. He said that the establishment of it conformed to the spiritual requirements which had been increasing and becoming more and more complicated. It also China Red Cross’s devotion to International Red Cross Movement. He hoped that the academy could become the training center of professional humanity workers, the researching center of humanitarian theories and one platform of international humanity’s communication and cooperation.

 

In Thierry Mayr’s speech, he pointed out that it is an innovation that the Red Cross Society of China established the International Academy of Red Cross and Red Crescent, and it has great significance for carrying out humanitarian education, theoretical study and international humanitarian cooperation. The International Committee of the Red Cross would work together with the Red Cross Society of China to build the academy into a center and a platform for promoting international humanitarian law, enhancing the professionalism and leadership of humanitarian workers, researching and innovating humanitarian policy and humanitarian diplomacy.

 

Wang Jiang, vice governor of Jiangsu Province, Li Yaping, mayor of Suzhou City and other leaders delivered speeches respectively to express their congratulations and support for the establishment of the International Academy of Red Cross and Red Crescent.

 

Then the participating leaders and guests inaugurated the International Academy of Red Cross and Red Crescent together.

 

At the ceremony, Chen Zhu awarded the Honorary President's Letter of Appointment for Francesco Rocca and the certificate for the first Board of Directors of the International Academy of Red Cross and Red Crescent.

 

Chen Yueguang, Executive Director of Zhejiang Dunhe Charity Foundation, Professor Li Weihai, International Humanitarian Law Expert and Professor Xu Yong, Public Medicine Expert shared and exchanged on the topics of "Humanitarian Public Welfare Education", "International Humanitarian Law Dissemination and Education in China", "Current Situation and Development of Disaster Medicine and Emergency Medicine in China". 

 

After the ceremony, the participating leaders and guests came to the office building of the International Academy of Red Cross and Red Crescent to list for the college and take a photo.

 

It is understood that there is no real Red Cross University(College) in the world so far. The establishment of the International Academy of Red Cross and Red Crescent filled the gap. Soochow University is one of the earliest universities in China to study the Red Cross Movement. As early as in 2005,the first academic research institution specializing in the Red Cross Movement in China—the Red Cross Movement Research Center was established in Soochow University. The center has produced a number of research results that have extensive influence throughout the country. Journal of “Research on the Red Cross Movement”, "Red Cross Culture Series" and other books published one after another. It has trained a number of outstanding talents engaged in the research of the Red Cross Movement and become a banner of the research in the relevant fields of the Red Cross Movement in China.

 

After many years of demonstration and preparation, on June 30, 2019, Red Cross Society of China, Soochow University and China Red Cross Foundation formally signed the cooperative establishment agreement in Beijing. After the establishment of the academy, six research centers will be set up, including the Red Cross Movement, international humanitarian law, international exchanges and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, humanitarian resource mobilization and cultural dissemination, emergency management and disaster preparedness and relief. And it will develop and design different types of humanitarian education training and teaching courses, conduct short-term training, mid-term training, advanced training and other vocational training courses, recruit masters and doctoral candidates of relevant majors and so on.