Aoun donates month's salary to Lebanese Red Cross for 2025 fundraising campaign

L'Orient-Le Jour

07-05-2025

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced on Wednesday that he would donate a month's salary to the Lebanese Red Cross, as part of the launch of the organization's annual fundraising campaign for 2025, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The announcement was made during a meeting at Baabda Palace, which was attended by First Lady Nemat Aoun and a delegation from the Lebanese Red Cross, led by Dr. Antoine Zoghbi, President of the Lebanese Red Cross.
Aoun said, "Allow me to offer my salary as a contribution to your cause. No matter how much we talk, we will never be able to do justice to your hard work, effort and sacrifices."
While praising the Lebanese Red Cross's services to citizens "from the far north to the far south, across the entire country, without looking at sectarian or political affiliations, whether with time or physical effort," Aoun noted that "there are those who have sacrificed their lives, those who were injured, yet no one hesitated to continue providing medical and humanitarian services." He considered it "the duty of all in Lebanon to stand by the Red Cross."
He added, "Everyone knows that when I was the head of the army, every time we called upon you, you were always close to us, sometimes even ahead of us. That image is engraved in my mind, and I will never forget it, in addition to what we witness every day of your swift responses to calls for help from any patient, injured person, or citizen."
Zoghbi said that "Today, we are launching the annual fundraising campaign for the Lebanese Red Cross for 2025, and this is a significant step for us under your presidency. In times of fraternity, solidarity and cooperation, values you have carried in your heart and embodied throughout your journey, wherever you have been."
Zoughbi also said, "We engage with the youth of Lebanon by educating them based on respect for human values, societal ethics and the global principles of our organization. We have schools, a university nursing college and an exemplary training center to solidify the academic structure within our organization, as well as over 5,000 first responders available around the clock across the country to respond to all types of emergencies."
"We have 12,000 volunteers across the country, and we've worked with everyone: security forces, civil authorities, ministries, governors, municipal councils and local municipalities. We've worked with everyone, especially during the recent war, to alleviate the shock and pain during our crises and to rationalize humanitarian responses. For all of this, we now seek the support of all Lebanese to help us continue our mission in maintaining health and security to ensure we remain a national volunteer organization, supporting the Lebanese state and army during both times of peace and war," Zoughbi concluded.
In early November, amid the war between Hezbollah and Israel, the Red Cross urgently appealed for more than $115 million to address towering needs in Lebanon amid Israel's dramatic escalation in hostilities targeting Hezbollah.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said it had launched an appeal for 100 million Swiss francs ($115.8 million) to help provide immediate and long-term relief to around 600,000 people affected by the war.