Ms. S. Jalaja, Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Ayush hoisted the Red Cross flag, planted a sapling and launched ‘Our World. Your Move’ global campaign of the Red Cross on World Red Cross Day. She equated the founder of the Red Cross Sir Jean Henry Dunant with Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi who all in their own fields crystallized ideas and discovered scientific and humanitarian facts that made a difference on the world community. She added that the best treatises on human rights are found in the works of Mahatma Gandhi, a precursor to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 that deal with the international humanitarian law. She also announced that she is becoming a Red Cross life member today.

Dr. S.P. Agarwal, Secretary General of IRCS related the Red Cross movement, which began at the Battle of Solferino in 1859 and impacted the life of underprivileged with the present threats in the form of global warming, recession, food insecurity and pandemic influenzas’. He exhorted all the members of Red Cross fraternity to awake, arise and act to make a difference in the lives of people.

“To commemorate the three landmark anniversaries in 2009, Red Cross has launched a major global campaign ‘Our World. Your Move’ to encourage people to participate in humanitarian action. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Solferino, which inspired Henry Dunant to form the International Red Cross and Red Crescent; the 90th anniversary of the founding of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which co-ordinates largest humanitarian network in the world; and the 60th anniversary of the ratification of the Geneva Conventions, that govern rule of war and conflict globally”, says Dr. S.P. Agarwal, Secretary General of the Indian Red Cross Society.

"Because of the global economic crisis, these are obviously hard times for a lot of people, but they're even harder for those who had very little to begin with. We have a collective responsibility to make our world a better place and we each have the individual power to 'make a move' to help others, whether it's spending time with an elderly neighbour or offering food and shelter to a family displaced by fighting," said Mr Francois Stamm, Regional Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

"This campaign is about more than raising awareness; this is a call to action. It's about engaging people in the spirit of volunteerism and empowering everyone to make a difference in the world around us. Each and every one of us must work in our communities so we are better prepared to cope with current and emerging crises. Together we can protect our future by taking action today," said Azmat Ullah, Head of the Regional Delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Heads of the American, British, Canadian, German and Spanish Red Cross in India, respectively Mr. Rajeev Sadana, Mr. Davide Zappa, Mr. Howard Arfin, Mr. Tim Bray and Mr. Hector Palacios, participated in the function and addressed the audience on above lines.