– In every corner of the world and in communities large and small, the Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers, together with their staff, choose voluntarily to support and stand on the side of humanity. Today on Red Cross Day, we honour their unwavering dedication, the principles they uphold, and the people they assist and protect many times, risking their own lives. Every day around the world, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams are working in environments with many challenges, and most dangerously, the rules to protect civilians are very often ignored.

From armed conflicts to disasters and health emergencies, the challenges are immense, which makes our principled humanitarian action so important. In a divided world, our movement unites people in the name of humanity, and even in the most challenging conditions, we continuously proceed. Serving humanity is our worldwide goal, and being independent, neutral, and impartial is essential to ensure that we can assist those in need.

To act in the name of humanity means giving every kind of support to those who make this action possible. Volunteers and staff from the very communities affected are the heart of our movement. It is through them, and their dedication, that we can respond quickly, build trust, and become available for people in crisis.

Despite the many risks, we continue to be readily available, offering care, support, and love. In Dominica, we are honoured to be enrolling 60 new volunteers in our newest branch in the Kalinago Territory today, May 8th, 2025, Red Cross Day, and to continue our own national society’s outreach to serving all in need throughout our beloved country. We pause with the International Red Cross to remember and honour the 10 colleagues we have already lost this year following the loss of 38 colleagues from our movement killed in the line of duty in 2024.

Many of them were deliberately targeted. As we mourn with their families and their national societies, we renew our pledge to continue serving humanity, and together we are steadfast in our vow to protect humanitarianism, to protect humanitarian workers, and to call on parties to conflict, to uphold and respect international humanitarian law. On behalf of the Governing Board of the Dominica Red Cross, I offer my deepest gratitude to the many volunteers and staff here in Dominica and throughout the world.

Happy Red Cross Day.