NAIROBI, Nov 20 (Kyodo) - Japanese Red Cross Society chief Tadateru Konoe was elected president of the International Red Cross on Thursday, becoming the first Asian to lead the world's largest humanitarian organization.
A self-proclaimed ''born and career Red Crosser,'' the 70-year-old Konoe, who has served as vice president of the organization, defeated former Red Cross President Mario Villarroel Lander by garnering 107 of the 177 valid votes cast at a General Assembly meeting in Nairobi of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
In a speech after the election, he called out to members of the organization to take a new step forward to fulfill its missions.
Born on May 8, 1939, Konoe -- who shares the same birthday as Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross -- graduated from Gakushuin University in 1962 and studied at the London School of Economics.
Since joining the JRCS in 1964, he has devoted the past 45 years to Red Cross humanitarian activities, including an eight-year stint in Geneva. He has been to over 80 countries, and his recent activities include leading rescue efforts in the aftermath of the 2008 earthquake in China's Sichuan Province and the 2004 earthquake off the island of Sumatra.
The younger brother of former Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, Konoe took the helm of the JRCS in 2005 and has concurrently served as vice president of the international federation since November that year. (Kyodo)
Today In Asia : Last Update : 10:18:11 20 November 2009 (GMT+7:00)
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