Presidents and Secretaries General of the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius and Comoros concluded a three-day strategic regional meeting held from 2 to 4 October 2026, reaffirming their commitment to building stronger, more sustainable and accountable National Societies capable of responding effectively to the evolving humanitarian needs of communities across the Indian Ocean.
The high-level gathering brought together the leaders of the four National Societies to take stock of shared regional challenges, strengthen cooperation and translate previous commitments into practical priorities for the future of humanitarian action.
Building on previous Leaders’ Meetings, discussions focused on key areas of common interest, including Disaster Law, accountability, organisational sustainability, financial sustainability, resource mobilisation and stronger regional coordination.
The meeting comes at a time when National Societies across the Indian Ocean are operating in an increasingly complex humanitarian environment, marked by recurrent disasters, climate-related risks, evolving humanitarian needs and growing expectations from communities and partners, alongside increasingly constrained funding.
Against this backdrop, leaders emphasised that strong governance, effective leadership, accountable systems, committed volunteers and sustainable resources are essential to maintaining community trust and ensuring that National Societies remain capable of delivering quality humanitarian services.
Financial sustainability and resource mobilisation were also key discussion points. Leaders explored opportunities to diversify funding, strengthen engagement with local and private-sector partners, and improve approaches to indirect costs, key performance indicators, transparency and organisational sustainability.
A significant outcome of the meeting was the decision to establish an Indian Ocean National Societies Leaders’ Coordination Alliance, bringing together the Presidents and Secretaries General of the four National Societies. The Alliance will provide a dedicated mechanism for leaders to strengthen coordination, maintain regular dialogue, follow up on agreed priorities and enhance the collective voice of the Indian Ocean National Societies within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The alliance is intended to ensure that regional discussions are translated into concrete actions, while encouraging greater peer-to-peer support, exchange of experience and collective approaches to shared challenges.
The meeting also concluded with the signing of a Joint Statement by the leaders of the Indian Ocean National Societies, reaffirming their shared commitment to strengthening cooperation, organisational sustainability, accountability, humanitarian preparedness and collective action across the region.
Importantly, the meeting moved beyond discussion towards concrete leadership commitments and follow-up actions. For the Red Cross Society of Seychelles (RCSS), the outcomes provide a basis for further strengthening organisational sustainability, accountability, financial management, resource mobilisation and institutional capacity, in alignment with its Strategic Plan 2023–2027.
During the meeting, the leaders also met with Ms Nasia Khoury, newly appointed IFRC Head of Delegation for the Indian Ocean, providing an opportunity to strengthen collaboration with the IFRC and exchange perspectives on regional humanitarian priorities and the support required by National Societies.
Representing the Red Cross Society of Seychelles (RCSS) were Vice President Audrey Annette and Secretary General Marie-May Esparon.
