RedR Australia is proud to be partnering with the Australian Government in delivering the new humanitarian aid program Australia Assists.
This civilian deployment program is an initiative of the Australian Government that will help Australia meet the challenges identified in the foreign policy White Paper, launched by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this week.
Australia Assists combines the best of the Australian Civilian Corps and RedR Australia’s humanitarian roster of international experts under one umbrella program.
With over 65 million people forcibly displaced from their homes around the world, the worst famine on record in Yemen, a protracted crisis in Syria and the world’s fastest growing humanitarian emergency in Bangladesh, Australia Assists enables Australia to increase its capacity to respond to complex humanitarian crises at a critical time.
“We will now deploy specialists to foreign governments as well as United Nations agencies and international and local non-government organisations,” RedR Australia CEO Kirsten Sayer said.
“Australia Assists will forge strong links between people, organisations and countries that help strengthen our region’s ability to better prevent, prepare for and respond to crisis and conflict,” she said.
Australia Assists involves a standby roster of over 700 Australian technical experts.
The new program became operational on the 1st October this year and already has 24 experts deployed to 12 countries including eight responding to the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh.
“RedR Australia has 25 years’ experience deploying civilians into disasters and complex emergencies and we are excited to be delivering a program that will build resilience, save lives and strengthen our region,” RedR Australia CEO Kirsten Sayers said today.
