Red Cross Society vows to improve transparency

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Zhao Baige, executive vice⁴ president of the RCSC, said at a press conference on Thursday that the Red Cross Society is aligned⁵ with China's socialist⁶ market system as well as international humanitarian⁷ principles.

"We have finished the design and public tender for both the software and hardware of the RCSC's information system," Zhao said, adding that the system's basic functions, especially those related to monetary⁸ donations, will be put into operation at the end of December.

The RCSC came under fire in 2011 after a woman calling herself "Guo Meimei" wrote microblog posts claiming that she worked for an organization under the RCSC. Her posts also detailed⁹ her lavish¹⁰ lifestyle, leading some netizens to believe she was embezzling¹¹ funds.

Although it was later found that the organization "Guo" claimed to work for did not exist, the incident had a negative impact on the RCSC and triggered calls for greater scrutiny¹² over charitable organizations.

On Tuesday, the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a guideline to encourage the RCSC to boost its transparency.

Zhao said the RCSC will carry out the requirements specified¹³ in the guideline, and it plans to expand the use of the information system to 80 percent of the provincial¹⁴ branches of the RCSC by the end of 2013. It will also extend the system to more than 50 percent of the Red Cross outlets¹⁵ at the county level by the end of 2014.

"The system will help the RCSC improve its transparency through fundraising management, publicizing the use of funds, and risk warning in material management," Zhao said.

According to the guideline issued on Tuesday, organizations of all levels of the Red Cross must adhere to the rules of information disclosure, make transparent the information on funds-raising, financial management, bidding and procurement¹⁶, and funds allocation, and respect the rights of donors¹⁷.

The guideline also urged the RCSC to build a comprehensive supervision system to integrate self-monitoring with governmental and civil watchdogs, and improve the work of its spokespersons so to respond to public concerns promptly¹⁸ and thoroughly¹⁹.

Zhao said the information on fundraising, expenses, public bidding and other financial related-areas should be made public through the information platform and the RCSC will rigorously implement²⁰ the rules of information disclosure.

Zhao also vowed to safeguard the donators and people's rights to know, participate and to supervise the operation of the RCSC.

According to Zhao, small-sum donations through cell phone text messages had facilitated 240 million yuan (37.65 million U.S. dollars) in donations since the RCSC launched the donation channel in 2006. The RCSC saw a surge of 7.36 percent of donations in 2011 via text messages although the society was affected²¹ by "the microblog incident."

"Since last year, the RCSC has set up open days to invite volunteers, donors, Internet users and journalists to visit the Red Cross Society and know about its work," Zhao added.

In response to a question at the conference, Zhao said that Chinese people's living standards have been lifted during 30 years of development, adding that the development of a nation does not only depend on materials but also improvements in various fields including the economy, politics, society, cultural and ecology.

"Not only the RCSC but also the whole society including the media, citizens, and government have met difficulties during the procedure of development," said Zhao when addressing the urgency of the reform of the RCSC.

Since China restored its seat in the International Federation²² of Red Cross (IFRC) in 1952, as one of the 187 members, the RCSC has worked hard to become one of the strongest the Red Cross societies, Zhao said.

In 2014, China will hold the international meeting for the members of the IFRC in the Asian region.

As the government guideline promised, it will help the RCSC take an active part in the international Red Cross movement and other overseas humanitarian programs.

Zhao also thanked the international community for its help and resources it provided and stressed that it was time for China to reward the world.

"The RCSC is now planning to cooperate with countries in Africa and Asia as well as regions neighboring China," Zhao said.

China is also willing to share experiences and lessons with countries around the world, and further implement the international humanitarian principles to carry out foreign aid, which plays an important role in public diplomacy²³.

The RCSC is the only national Red Cross Society in the People's Republic of China. It has about 27 million members and 2.16 million volunteers.

The RCSC's humanitarian efforts in China include disaster relief, first aid training and charity programs. The organization also handles blood and human organ donations.

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