TEHRAN – The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) have hosted a webinar on ‘Early Rehabilitation in Conflicts and Disasters’.

Co-organized by the experts from ICRC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the IRCS, the event held on Tuesday brought together participants from 40 countries, the IRCS website reported.

The webinar was a continuation of a conference on rehabilitation held in February. It focused on accurately identifying operational barriers, strengthening structural preparedness, and presenting emergency operational plans. In particular, it elaborated on the ways the IRCs integrate rehabilitation services into the rapid responses.

The main objective of the webinar was to improve the quality and the effectiveness of rehabilitation services provided by the national societies in times of disasters and conflicts.

Addressing the event, Vincent Cassard, the representative of the ICRC, announced the inauguration of the ‘International Secretariat on Disability and Rehabilitation’ at the initiative of the IRCS.

Emphasizing the collective role of humanitarian organizations and international institutions, he lauded the extensive cooperation between the IRCS, the WHO, and representatives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent member states.

The official went on to say that the webinar aims to turn humanitarian commitments into actions, and to make sure that no one, particularly no person with disability, is excluded from human services and support.

Referring to the experiences gained in recent workshops by the national societies, he said the studies have shed light on integrating rehabilitation into crisis responses and shown how to utilize national capacities, like the IRCS, to provide a role model in the region.

The official went on to highlight that this collaborative effort is not merely a conference, but an ongoing path to realizing human dignity and alleviating human suffering.