China's Red Cross wins major award for humanitarian efforts

The recent conferring of the Henry Davison Award－one of the most distinguished humanitarian awards in the world－to the Red Cross Society of China symbolizes a full recognition of the society's contribution to domestic and global development and progress, said Chen Zhu, president of the society.

The award, announced on Sunday, recognizes the society's extraordinary efforts devoted to aiding China in battling the initial outbreak of COVID-19, and the implementation of regular novel coronavirus control measures, he said.

"The society has provided comprehensive antivirus equipment and other materials to members of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and sent domestic experts to other countries including Iran, Iraq and Italy to help them fight the virus," he said during a recent interview.

So far, the society has provided anti-epidemic materials to more than 40 countries and launched a number of online seminars to share experiences.

It has also supplied 1.6 million COVID-19 vaccines to 12 countries and will provide five million more doses to 15 countries and regions in the near future, according to Chen.

The award was established by the IFRC in 2003 and is named after its founder, Henry Davison.

It is presented biannually in recognition of "outstanding service in improving the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".

This year's awardees also included the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, the Red Crescent Society of Iran and an outstanding volunteer recommended by the Somali Red Crescent Society.

Thanks to the work of the Red Cross Society of China, more than 300 children with congenital heart disease from Afghanistan and Mongolia were able to receive treatment and surgeries in China from 2017 to 2019. In the past year, the society has also provided aid to people in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

"In recent years, the Red Cross Society of China has played an important role in the strategic planning and regional development of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies," said Chen.

He added that the society plans to expand its number of volunteers and actively participate in tackling major challenges ranging from climate change to pollution.

In the meantime, it will continue to step up caring for vulnerable groups, he said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.