Red Cross federation chief stepping down

The head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the world’s largest humanitarian network, is resigning following a row in Italy over the Rome Pride event, a report said Thursday.

Francesco Rocca is leaving his post as the head of the IFRC after the controversy in Italy, where he leads the right-wing government of the Lazio region encompassing Rome.

Earlier this month, the Lazio government withdrew its sponsorship of Rome Pride, saying the event was too political.

Rocca’s decision to resign has been circulated internally, Switzerland’s ATS news agency reported.

Rocca will remain in office at the Geneva-based IFRC until an extraordinary general meeting to elect his successor, the agency said.

The IFRC did not immediately respond when contacted for comment by AFP.

Rocca, 57, became the IFRC president in 2017 and was re-elected in 2022.

In a letter to the national societies and the IFRC secretariat, Rocca voiced his “great sadness”, saying he wanted to “protect the organisation”, said ATS.

He also wanted to avoid possible “manipulations” of his decisions as president of the Lazio administration, which could affect the IFRC.

Of the decision not to sponsor the Rome Pride, Rocca had said the Lazio region’s name “cannot, nor will it ever, be used to support actions aimed at promoting illegal behaviour”, specifically surrogacy.

The theme of the Rome Pride 2023 event earlier this month was “QueeResistenza”.

Campaigners have been condemning what they called “multiple attacks” on the LGBTQ community in Italy since Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right government took office in October.

Rocca was elected earlier this year in Lazio with the backing of Meloni’s coalition, which styles itself as a defender of “traditional” family values.

The premier’s far-right Brothers of Italy party has proposed a law to extend Italy’s existing ban on surrogacy to include Italians who go abroad to find a surrogate mother.

The Lazio region said Rome Pride’s public statements — which include calls for the rights of same-sex couples to adopt children or access fertility treatment, and for legalisation of surrogacy — “violate the conditions” of sponsorship.

The mayor of Rome, left-winger Roberto Gualtieri, condemned the decision and said his city authorities would maintain their sponsorship.