PHNOM PENH: Cambodia is hosting the 20th Southeast Asia Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Leaders Meeting this week to discuss global topics related to humanitarian aid, particularly climate change. Former First Lady Bun Rany chaired the meeting and called for delegations to come to an agreement on the organization’s climate charter.

Speaking at a press conference on the afternoon of September 21, Deputy Secretary-General of the Cambodian Red Cross, Men Neary Sopheak, said that Bun Rany, who is president of the organization, gave speeches and recommendations to address climate change earlier that day to open the meeting.

President Bun Rany requested a discussion on the climate charter, which was issued in 2021. "Of the more than 300 organizations that have signed up, we do not yet have what we need to implement [the charter] and are not clear yet," she said. She proposed that the topic be a priority for the meeting. The president also accepted the proposals of the RCRC Youth Forum, which has its second ASEAN gathering this year.

In her opening remarks, she encouraged Southeast Asian RCRC societies to seek cooperation to push for policies that build the capacity of their executive teams, strengthen the participation of relevant partners, and build youth development skills and networking opportunities, all with the goal of creating a planet with fresh air and a clean environment.

The Southeast Asia Red Cross and Red Crescent Leaders Meeting brings together humanitarian leaders of the region to discuss and address matters of shared interest. The meeting will end today with the release of the Phnom Penh Declaration, supported by the delegations.