Szijjarto: IFRC expands Budapest office
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Peter Szijjarto noted that the IFRC had chosen Budapest as the location for its global service centre eight years ago and this was the second expansion of the office since then.
Currently there are 118 Hungarian and 110 foreign citizens working at the Budapest IFRC office, he said, adding that the expansion was set to increase staff to up to 280.
Szijjarto said it was important to ensure the most favourable operating conditions possible, which could help the organisation carry out its duties at the highest possible level. The government, he added, had assured the IFRC of its continued support, noting the tax exemptions for its staff members, which parliament will have to approve in the autumn.
Meanwhile, Szijjarto said mankind had entered “an era of dangers”, with armed conflicts going on in more than 30 places in the world.
Concerning the war in Ukraine, the minister said around 1,500 schools and kindergartens have welcomed Ukrainian refugee children. Refugees, he added, had equal access to health care, and the government was also supporting them in finding jobs.
On another subject, Szijjarto praised the work of the Hungary Helps agency which has so far carried out 360 humanitarian projects worth a combined 120 million US dollars across 64 countries.
He said the organisation’s aim was to ensure that Christian and other communities could survive where they have been living for centuries instead of being forced to leave their homeland.
He said that as a country with a thousand years of Christian statehood behind it, Hungary felt a special responsibility for Christian communities around the world.
“We believe that one’s right to live in one’s home in safe and peaceful conditions is one of the most important aspects of human rights,” he said. “The international community’s most important goal should be to restore these fundamental rights, and I think the IFRC plays a leading role in this.”
Szijjarto noted that Hungary has been a member of the IFRC since 1921.
