Report from of the Executive Council of the IFBDO at
Hotel Porto-Rio, Patras, Greece, on Sunday, October 17, 1999.
Members of the Executive Council present:
President: Martin Manceñido-Fuertes, Spain
Vice-president: Ezzedine Riahi, Tunesia
Treasurer: Robert Labadie, the Netherlands
Secretary General, Niels Mikkelsen, Denmark
The Continental Delegates:
from Africa: Farid Belouafi, Marocco
from Europe: Pasquale Colamartino, Italy
from North America: Jean Guy Lorrain, Québec
and George Simigiatos with special assignment for the Balkans
Members of the Executive Council absent:
Vice-president: Francis Ferrua, France
Special Counselor to the President: Peter Heimer, German Red Cross
The Continental Delegate from South America: Márcia Tedesco Dalcceco, Brazil
AGENDA :
1 . Agreement on the agenda :
Point 2, "follow up on our decisions in Mantova" was placed at the end of the Agenda. Otherwise, the proposed agenda was accepted with the addition of a number of smaller extra points (See below:).
Working languages: The Executive Council affirmed, that the three working languages should be respected at all official meetings of the IFBDO.
3. Status of our accounts
Robert Labadie explained that our French accounts would be open to the end of the year.
A new account had been opened in the Netherlands in the ABN AMRO BANK:
Title: International Federation of Blood Donor Organisations
Number: 55.24.78.830
SWIFT: ABNANL2A
The Account is located at:
ABN AMRO BANK, Stationweg branch
PO Box 7121
NL 1007 JC Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
All currencies (Euros, French Francs, Dollars etc) are accepted by the bank.
A number of member organizations have not paid their contributions in years. The President and the General Treasurer will write to all these countries, adding an "invoice" for the use of transactions with the national central banks (if necessary).
But overall, the accounts are in good standing for the moment. But several countries have not paid for the medals they have ordered and received.
The federation has spent very little money this year, but the travel expenses (mentioned under Rule XIV) of the President and the Secretary General are covered by the federation. Also the costs (mentioned under Rule IX) of running the general secretariat (postage, translations, documentation etc.) are covered by the federation.
Our official seat remains in Monaco, and the formal address of the federation should be reported to the authorities in Monaco.
Some of the medals should be reproduced and sold at production cost, but the existing stock of medals should, of course, be used.
The demands for annual contributions for the year 2000 will be sent to the member organizations in January 2000. The contributions will be calculated in Euros with the same rates as in 1999.
At the upcoming General Assembly, the General Treasurer will present a budget for the fiscal year 2000 and for fiscal 2001 with a proposal for contributions for 2001.
Voluntary contributions are essential, if our federation should take greater initiatives.
The FIODS Revue should be distributed to the member organizations, according to their demand for number of copies. Between 5 and 20 for the different countries seems reasonable. The President will try to distribute a first edition in the three working languages before the end of the year. Additional copies will be sold at a regulatory price (50 French Francs for each copy demanded). The President will ask each country to detail their need for additional copies.
4. Status of our member organizations:
A list of member organizations, which have paid their contributions, and of organizations, which have not paid, is found as Annex 1.
The rules about expulsion are found in Article XVII of our Statutes. The General Treasurer shall present a report to the Executive Council, which will take a provisional decision before the up-coming General Assembly. It is for the General assembly to decide definitively on the expulsion of an organization from the IFBDO.
The Executive Council asked the European Delegate to seek information on the present status of the Belgian Blood Donors Association, and on the German association, and to give a report to the European group at the next session of the group.
The Council decided unanimously to propose to the coming General Assembly to bestow "Honorary" status to our former president, Ms. Nicole Petton. Our honorary presidents will be informed about the activities of the Federation, including the General Assemblies and the meetings of the Executive Council, but they will not be convened to the meetings.
5. Next General AssemblyThe General Assembly will take place in Sao Paulo, Brasil, Thursday 27 April -
Sunday 30 April 2000 at the Conference Centre of Paulista Wall Street Suites, Itapeva Street, 636 - Bela Vista.
The General Assembly will begin at 19 H (7 p.m.) the 27 April.
It is urgent, that an Agenda and reports, budgets etc. are distributed beforehand. A formal convocation will be distributed by the Secretary General.
The speakers should be invited by their national organizations - and their travel expenses should be paid by these organizations (and not by the IFBDO).
The Brazilian organization has prepared tourist programs, including information on Brazil, the location of the General Assembly etc.
6. Upcoming meetings of the Executive Council
Upcoming reunions:
Possibility of en Executive Council in Spain
Executive Council in Sao Paulo:
Thursday 27 April 2000 (so you’ll have to arrive on Wednesday, 26 April 2000)
Executive Council in France at the end of September or beginning of October 2000 in the Paris region.
7. Plans for the IFBDO General Assembly in 2001 and 2002
General Assembly in Tunis, April/May 2001
General Assembly in Québec, April/May 2002
7. B. Other planned reunions:
European Conference for young donors (Italy, spring/summer 2000)
African Conference for young donors (Tunisia, spring/summer 2000)
North American Conference for young donors (Québec, spring/summer 2000)
World Conference of young donors (Denmark, summer 2001)
The General Treasurer will convoke the Control Commission before the upcoming General Assembly
Our Swiss friend (and member of the Control Commission) M. Claude Piotton will represent the IFBDO at the XXV Blood Donors Day in Fénis, in the Valle d’Aosta in Italy,
13.-14. November 1999.
2. "Follow up on our decisions in Mantova"
IFBDO priorities for the future:
Cooperation with other international organizations:
2.A: The IFBDO should - also in practice - become a world organization with greater participation from countries outside Europe.
Our delegate for the Balkans has established contacts with the F.Y.R.O.M., in Albania, in Ukraine and in Russia. He proposed to use the Olympic Games in 2004 in the promotion of the knowledge about the IFBDO and, especially, about the necessity of voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation.
2.B: The IFBDO should strengthen its role in international fora, such as the Council of Europe, the WHO and the EU, and its cooperation with other organizations such as the ISBT and the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The Secretary General has represented the I.F.B.D.O at several occasions:
- The 7th colloquium on recruitment of donors in Geneva (in cooperation with the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and with ADROP).
- The meeting of the British Blood Transfusion Society in Edinburgh.
- The Secretary General has participated as teacher at the last colloquium of the ESTM on recruitment of donors in Bucharest
The European Delegate should expand his personal relations within the EU at the highest level (the President of the Commission, Mr. Prodi) and with staff administrating the blood sector. With our ministers of Health as intermediaries we should try to obtain influence on the development of EU policies. We should write a document to be used in our work at the European level.
The EU-directives should respect the recommendations of the Council of Europe, and they should especially be open for updating in accordance with the changes in recommendations of the Council of Europe. There should be the same minimum rules in all of Europe (inside and outside the EU)
The IFBDO should expand its presence in Brussels and Luxembourg (with the Commission and the permanent delegations from the member states)
The delegate for South America should be supported in the expansion of the IFBDO in Latin America, and especially during the General Assembly in Sao Paulo in April 2000. The President will follow up on this expansion in these countries with Márcia Tedesco Dalcceco.
The countries in Northern Africa should expand their cooperation with the WHO office in Cairo. The African Delegate and the vice-president Riahi will contact the Gulf-countries in order to obtain cooperation about the knowledge of non-remunerated blood.
The IFBDO should publish a press-release at the occasion of the International Health Day of the WHO (The World Health Day) on the 7th of April 2000 concerning "Safety of Blood"
The IFBDO should try to manifest itself at the occasion of the "Voluntary Year" of the United Nations in 2001.
The IFBDO should be represented by the Secretary General at the annual meeting of the ISBT/AITS in Vienna in July 2000.
A meeting between the I.F.B.D.O and the successor for Mr. Young should be organized as soon as the I.F.R.C.R.C has nominated a new director responsible for the blood sector after M. Ian Young. Furthermore, the IFBDO should encourage its member organizations to collaborate with the local Red Cross organizations.
2.C: The IFBDO should lobby the EU for support to the development of unpaid blood donation and voluntary organizations in other parts of the world, especially in developing countries and in eastern Europe. This activity should involve at least two organizations from the member states of the EU and the European Delegate.
We have to ask the EU for support for the work to expand the non-remunerated blood donation in developing countries to develop i. a. the social and health sectors in developing countries. We have to ask for support for training, for organizational development (legal support), for financing etc. The EU has already supported the expansion of non-remunerated blood donations by the PHARE- program, and in Greece, the EU has supported the development of local blood centers.
It is, however, important, that the Activities of the IFBDO do not become dependant on the subventions of the EU
The European Delegate should try to obtain a meeting with the President of the Commission, Mr. Prodi regarding this subject (and about a new directive in the blood field)
New guidelines:
2.D: The IFBDO should formulate its guidelines for blood donation - and distribute these guidelines in a printed leaflet. The medical counselors to the IFBDO should be activated in this work
The IFBDO should make a brochure about the IFBDO and update its directives on blood donation, production, financing and security. These directives should take into consideration the directives of the Council of Europe, and the International Red Cross Federation. The brochure should be made by a professional agency. The directives should be made in cooperation with our medical counselors.
The list of medical counselors should be updated by direct demand from the Secretary General to the member organizations.
The directives should i. a. include: selection of donors, donor security, intervals between donations, a demand about non-remunerated blood donation and a definition of this term, self-sufficiency, collection hours, the question of sponsorship, relations between blood donor organizations and the pharmaceutical enterprises, the question of sale of blood products, relations between the blood donor organizations, the medical counselors and the pharmaceutical industry etc.
A point of departure should be the Patras-declaration from 1997 concerning our policies about the blood-sector within the EU The starting point should be utilization of national and European plasma - and that import from developing countries to Europe and vice-versa should be avoided. The starting point of this work could be the EU-recommendation from 1998.
The present directives of the member organizations should be part of this work.
2.E: The IFBDO should follow closely the development of guidelines for blood transfusion within the Council of Europe - and the group of IFBDO medical advisors should be strengthened.
The IFBDO should express its deep support for the work related to our sector carried out by the secretariat of the Council of Europe, both within the Council of Europe itself as in other organs (especially within the EU). In our member countries we should support the implementation of the guidelines of the Council of Europe, and the IFBDO should follow the work with the guidelines closely.
Communication:
2.F: The IFBDO should be more active towards the media, and a professional media task force should be established.
The IFBDO should establish an open press-agency, where the members could communicate by electronic mail (e-mail). The IFBDO shall establish a list of friendly journalists, and also publish newsletters by electronic mail. Nicola DADAMO of the AVIS press Agency will develop an introduction to a press-plan, but a number of information initiatives could be taken immediately. The press-promotions will be communicated in the three official working languages of the IFBDO Other means of information should be examined.
2.G: A newsletter in the three working languages should be distributed.
2.H: The FIODS Revue should be published again - and sponsoring for its printing end edition should be sought.
The President will try to find sponsors to the publication of the FIODS Revue. The target group will be blood donors and other volunteers - and the Revue will be written in the three official languages.
2.I: The FIODS Revue should be distributed through the member organizations. Beyond 5 copies, which are paid through the membership-fee, additional copies should be paid for separately by the member organizations.
2.J: The IFBDO should be present in national events (national general assemblies etc.), which should be reported in the FIODS Revue.
At the proper time, the President should make a declaration before the International Blood Donation Day, the 23rd of May. At this point, Morocco, Tunisia, Iceland, Lithuania, Denmark and Brazil are celebrating the International Blood Donation Day, but a rise in the number of countries celebrating this day would be desirable.
2.K: The IFBDO should establish and up-date its Internet connections - and homepages of the member organizations should be linked. The IFBDO should have a more flexible structure - and more automatic communication.
The Secretary General received authorization to create a web-site on the Internet for the IFBDO for an amount not surpassing 5.000 $. The site should contain the addresses, official texts and links to national sites. The languages of the site will be English, French and Spanish – and the target group will be donors, volunteers and other individuals interested in our work.
2.L: Addresses, including e-mail addresses, should be continuously updated by the Secretary General.
A list has already been distributed to all the member organizations with a demand for corrections to the addresses. Until the website for the IFBDO has been established, the addresses are updated on the Danish site (www.bloddonor.dk) under "INTERNATIONALT".
Activities:
2.M: The IFBDO should have more activities for young people, such as donor-camps, exchanges, Internet-chats etc.
The IFBDO should update its number of activities directed towards young people between 18 and 30 in order to assure the future of non-remunerated blood donation as well as the future of the IFBDO
The national organizations should exchange trainees, who could work in other national organizations.
George Simigiatos will send a report to the national organizations on his experiences with dissemination of information on donation to teachers and to primary and secondary schools.
2.N: The IFBDO should cooperate with the European School of Transfusion Medicine (ESTM)
The IFBDO should, if possible, co-operate with the ESTM on the organization of a recruitment seminar in 2001 in on of the Baltic countries.
2.O: The IFBDO should cooperate with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies about donor-recruitment seminars etc.
The participation of the IFBDO in the 7th colloquium in Geneva was mentioned, and Claude Piotton was thanked for his important help in representing the IFBDO in the preparations of the colloquium.
Finances:
2.P: The income should be spent - i. a. to develop more resources for the organizations activities
The Treasurer asked for contributions to the budget for the year 2000, including predicted expenses to the Secretariat and foreseen travels.
2.Q: The stronger member organizations should be asked for voluntary contributions
The President and the Treasurer will make an effort to obtain voluntary contributions from other sources than the member organizations. The possibility of a sponsor for the Internet site will be explored.
2.R: The International Merit of Blood-awards should be reorganized - and the budget for this activity should be balanced.
8. Any other business
Québec: The Québec-organization had asked to be considered as an organization in a difficult situation during the upstart of the organization. This consideration was accepted by the Executive Council. Québec will accordingly have to pay a membership fee of French Francs 1.000 for the years 1999 and 2000.
Libya has not received an official response to its demand for membership of the IFBDO
Mali had not received an official response to its demand for membership of the IFBDO either.
Amadou Ba had forwarded an overview of the situation in several African countries (see
Annex 2)
Morocco does not have an office, since Malika has a leave of absence. Mail to the Moroccan Blood Donors Organization should be sent to Fahrid Beluafi.
Pasquale Colamartino wanted a deeper mutual knowledge of our organizations, including the regional work. Some regional organizations could contribute directly to the work of the IFBDO An example of such a contribution was the cooperation between Lombardy and Sénegal.
Another co-operation with Romania, done by an Italian region, was proposed by the Secretary General in the field of developing blood donor organizations (since there was an important interest for this in Romania).
It would be a good initiative, if the blood donor organizations found a "twin country" which could be helped in developing voluntary work in the blood donors organizations.
The Treasurer thought, that the Netherlands could contribute economically to such a cooperation.
The President underlined that all contributions are important – contributions of money and of human resources as well.
After a question from Greece, it was underlined, that I.F.B.D.O-medals are given to individuals and not to organizations or regional organizations. It is for the national organizations to propose individuals for a medal. In any way, medals should only be given to individuals, who have made a considerable effort in the development of non-remunerated blood donation.
Algeria had sent a letter concerning the coming meeting in 2001 between the countries possessing islands in the Mediterranean.
Ezzedine Riahi proposed that the President made a general statement about the status of the Vice-president and the African Delegate to be used in the application for visa etc.
The Secretary General was asked to examine, if there existed any archives of the IFBDO- and if yes, where they were. The Secretary General had not received anything from the former Secretary General. The Treasurer had received four boxes of archive material from the former assisting treasurer. These boxes would be transmitted to the President.
The Secretary General is responsible for the formal notification of the headquarters of the IFBDO
All organizations should on a regular basis send changes of address to the Secretary General. The list of "other interested persons" is for internal use, only. The official list of addresses will be publicized on the Internet-site.
The President thanked the participants in the meeting for their help with interpretation and practical assistance, and thanked the Greek hosts for the arrangements for the meeting.
Niels Mikkelsen
Secretary General