Strategic Plan 2021-2025 Map of FSM 2 Contents Map of FSM ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 Key Issues in the FSM________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Country Context _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 Major Vulnerability and Hazards Analysis _________________________________________________________________________________ 8 History of Micronesia Red Cross Society (MRCS) __________________________________________________________________________ 9 IFRC Strategy 2030 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11 MRCS Vision _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12 MRCS Mission: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12 Strategic Aims 2021-2025 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13 Strategic Aim 1: Save lives in times of disasters and crises ______________________________________________________________ 14 Strategic Aim 2: Enable healthy and safe living ___________________________________________________________________________ 16 Strategic Aim 3: Promote the prevention and reduction of vulnerability, social inclusion and a culture of non- violence and peace __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 17 Strategic Aim 4: Build a stronger National Society and contribute to the wider Red Cross Red Crescent Movement 19 Cross Cutting Issues ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 23 Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent _____________________________________________________________ 24 3 Key Issues in the FSM The next five years present a future with many questions for FSM. The economic provisions of the Amended Compact are set to expire in 2023 and the current COVID-19 pandemic continues to accelerate across the globe affecting the daily lives of everyone. Fortunately, the FSM remains free of any COVID-19 cases but it is feeling its impact on its fragile economy already. Compounded with the ever-increasing threat of climate change, the FSM anticipates a future with many uncertainties. The Micronesia Red Cross Society (MRCS) must position itself in a way that is responsive to the anticipated issues FSM is to face so that the support it provides is adequate and sustainable. It needs to tailor and augment its programs and services to support FSM in these areas: Health: The FSM health system is stricken with an epidemic in Non-communicable diseases (NCD) that include heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease which are the leading causes of death worldwide and represent an emerging global health threat. Deaths from NCDs now exceed all communicable disease deaths combined. 1 All four states in the FSM declared NCD a state of health emergency as the epidemic of NCDs poses devastating health consequences for individuals, families, and communities, and threatens to overwhelm the health systems. The significance and seriousness of NCD prompted the Joint Economic Management Committee (JEMCO) which is the Committee established to strengthen management and accountability concerning assistance provided under the Compact, as amended, to adopt a resolution authorizing adequate funding toward Diabetes-related hospitalization, Leprosy elimination, and MTRTB. The rise of NCDs has been driven by primarily four major risk factors: tobacco use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol, and unhealthy diets. The epidemic of NCDs poses devastating health consequences for individuals, families, and communities, and threatens to overwhelm health systems. The socioeconomic costs associated with NCDs make the prevention and control of these diseases a major development imperative for the 21st century. 2 Disasters and Crises: The common disasters in the FSM are typhoons, tropical storms, droughts, flooding, storm surges, inundation, landslides, oil spills, and wildfires.3 They are listed according to the order of occurrence (frequency) and cost to the governments. 1 CDC: Global Health Protection and Security 2 World Health Organization Non-communicable Disease https://www.who.int/health- topics/noncommunicable-diseases#tab=tab_1 3 Secretary of DECEM, email dated September 8, 2020 4 Climate change has exacerbated the effects of natural disasters as seen and experienced in the region today. It has caused more frequent typhoons and tropical storms in recent history than most folks in FSM can remember and has caused surges and inundation in low-lying coastal areas; caused extended droughts leading to wildfires; caused more precipitation resulting in flooding and landslides, etc. Economic Situation: The economy of the FSM has performed well in recent years, with relatively high growth and low inflation. Fiscal and current account balances have recorded large surpluses since 2017, owing to the authorities’ decision to save revenue windfalls. Nonetheless, the FSM faces significant medium-term uncertainty as various economic supports under the Compact Agreement with the United States are set to expire in 2023. Unless they are renewed, the FSM is expected to lose access to Compact grants, giving rise to a fiscal cliff in 2023; banking sector oversight by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and post-disaster rehabilitation assistance. The country is highly vulnerable to climate change, while private sector activity remains anemic.4 Furthermore, the Compact Trust Fund (CTF) that is intended to replace Compact Sector grants assistance is “unlikely to be enough to offset the loss of the grants, giving rise to a fiscal cliff.”5 With the COVID-19 now a pandemic, the FSM, like many small island states, faces significant health and economic risks. Although the country has not experienced any COVID-19 cases this has been at the cost of needing to shut down the country to almost all outside contact. This was necessary as none of the four State health systems were anywhere near prepared to deal with a pandemic. This is resulting in a deeper and most likely longer economic impact to the county. Some eight months after the Emergency Declaration the Governors are still not willing to open up their States even to returning citizens or students. There is a concern for the States’ fiscal situation as the decline in tax revenue can be absorbed at the national level in the medium term but the States are under much tighter fiscal constraints. They will need financial support before the end of FY2020 and throughout FY2021. They are unlikely to be able to service their debt over the next 18 months.6 Humanitarian Space in FSM: MRCS does not operate in a vacuum. There are other humanitarian actors. The critical question is - How is MRCS seen within this humanitarian space? How is MRCS faring against the other humanitarian actors? This is a critical question because MRCS’s sustainability, to be greatly contributed by the wide public and community support, depends on how MRCS is perceived. Who are the MRCS’s competitors in the sector? The “competitors” is used in 4 IMF – Staff Report for the 2019 Article IV Consultations 5 IMF – Staff Report for the 2019 Article IV Consultations 6 Economic Update June 2020 5 the sense that it should inspire MRCS to do more and do better, not in the context of enhancing monopoly. The two big actors or NGOs in the FSM are the Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). There are other state-based NGOs, but these two stand out as they have received international recognition. MCT operates with a mission to promote biodiversity conservation and related sustainable development. Its focus is more on the Micronesian region. TNC, on the other hand, operates with a vision to protect and care for nature basing its work on science but more on a broader and wider perspective. Both NGOs have secured stable and long- term sustainable funding mechanisms that are crucial to their work. Fortunately, MRCS is also recognized in the international world. It has the advantage, however, in that its focus is more encompassing and can even be complementary to MCT’s and TNC’s. MRCS needs to become creative in how it engages with the private sectors, donor partners, and the government to create a secured and long-term fund that is sustainable. Youth: The National Youth Policy defines youth as all persons (male and female) between ages 15 to 34 years. Most of the MRCS volunteers are youth. The trends with youth volunteering in the FSM depend on how well the assignment or work is publicized. The organizations that have helped to keep the youth involved and feel some sense of belonging and relevancy include the government, faith-based organizations, and even NGOs. Of these, the faith-based organizations seem to be more successful in engaging the youth. How MRCS improve and become more successful in its engagement with youth depends on the types of issue and work it creates for them. Their work needs to be acknowledged. Technology: Today’s technology has made the world we live in more closely connected and more interdependent economically, socially, and politically. This reality is understood