Australian Red Cross has been honoured with Sydney being selected as the host city for the 19th session of the General Assembly of the International Federation and the Council of Delegates of the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement due in November 2013, on the eve of our Centenary Year in Australia.
President of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Tadateru Konoe said: "We are extremely grateful for the generous invitation extended by the Australian Red Cross to host one of the most important global events in the calendar of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
"We are especially excited about the prospects of holding our Statutory Meetings for the first time ever in the Pacific region and are confident that Sydney 2013 will not only be a quality venue, but brilliantly organised by our hosts."
Australian Red Cross' Board Chairman Greg Vickery said the events will attract up to a thousand Red Cross representatives from around the world.
"Hosting this important international meeting for our Movement will provide a tremendous opportunity to launch our Centenary Year with the support of National Societies from around the globe. It is also an important recognition of the standing of Australian Red Cross in the International Movement," he said.
The winning bid was made possible by the support of Australian and NSW Governments, who have each committed up to $2 million towards the hosting of these events. Australian Red Cross also received generous financial and in-kind support from Business Events Sydney, Events NSW and the City of Sydney.
Photo courtesy Tourism New South Wales.