THE ninth Partnership Meeting, organized by the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS), opened yesterday morning at the Melia Hotel in Yangon. Union Min­ister for Health Professor Dr Thet Khaing Win, departmental heads, the MRCS president, the vice-president, secretariat staff, diplomats, representatives of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), domestic and foreign donors, and volunteers attended the event.

In his remarks, the Union Minister for Health highlighted the MRCS’s role in providing humanitarian support as part of the nation’s emergency re­sponse and acknowledged the contributions of its volunteers. The meeting focuses on re­viewing domestic humanitari­an operations, planning future strategies, and strengthening preparedness, health acces­sibility, and organizational ca­pacity.

MRCS President Dr Myo Nyunt and international rep­resentatives, including Ms Juja Kim (IFRC Asia-Pacific Depu­ty Regional Director) and Mr Regis Savioz (IFRC Asia-Pa­cific Regional Director), also addressed the meeting.

The two-day meeting, held from 6 to 7 November, brings to­gether representatives from the MRCS, IFRC, partner national societies, UN agencies, and the AHA Centre. MRCS has been holding partners’ meetings bi­annually since 1999. —MNA/ KZL