Responses of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners

Receiving support in response to the offers of assistance

1. The Policy of receiving support
In response to the offers of assistance from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners, the JRCS had made a decision “not to request a launch of an Emergency Appeal” but “to receive donations from overseas which should not be earmarked in principle” and “not to receive in-kind donations”, based on its contingency plan for a large earthquake in Tokai area.

Furthermore, the JRCS did not request emergency medical teams, namely Health ERU (Emergency Response Unit), which is one of the global disaster response tools of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). However, the JRCS later received some of the relief goods for various reasons and coordinated their distribution with its local Chapters in the affected areas.

2. International donations
International donations from the Partner National Societies (PNSs) of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement throughout the world were all used for projects implemented by the JRCS.
The JRCS received them by opening a designated bank account for the donations from overseas in the following way.

The JRCS’s notification since March 16

  • ・A special account was opened only for remittances from the PNSs. These donations were dealt with as international donations; the information on this account was not to be announced to the public.
  • ・On the other hand, the donations from overseas governments, Japanese embassies, individuals, and companies were to be received through another account as Cash Grants.

Supporters from Overseas (c) JRCS Supporters from Overseas (c) JRCS

3. Agreement with the PNSs on the donations from overseas
When international donations were sent by PNSs using their own agreement forms, various narrative reports and financial reports were additionally requested to the JRCS, which required to develop a common agreement. From March-April 2011, the JRCS received international donations from PNSs by concluding a simplified agreement. The JRCS officially received donations by signing formal agreements with PNSs after it was approved in the first PNS Meeting for GEJET in May 2011.

4. Allocation of international donations
International donations of JPY 100.2 billion have been received by the JRCS were allocated into the following two categories:

  • ・JPY 60.14 billion: Received from Partner National Societies (PNSs) of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and allocated for the JRCS Relief and Recovery Programmes.
  • ・JPY 40.06 billion: Received from the State of Kuwait in the form of crude oil donation and disbursed through the JRCS to the three most disaster-affected perfectural governments in support of recovery projects in which they took the lead.