Juan Manuel was born in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain  in September 1952 and trained as an industrial engineer at the University of Las Palmas, specialising in industrial organization. He went on to teach in the Economics and Business Management Department of the University and since 1981 has held various executive positions in the public transport company GLOBAL (formerly SALCAI).

He is married with María Teresa García Cuyás and they have two daughters María Luisa and Laura. He continues to live in Las Palmas and play a key part in his local community.

From the age of 19, Juan Manuel has committed himself to contributing all he can to help the needs of vulnerable people through the Red Cross.

“I joined in 1971 with a group of friends who shared a number of concerns and saw or found in the Red Cross a way of doing something about those social concerns that we had at the time.”

“We wanted to find an organisation that would allow us to participate in important social fields, an organisation with ideals which had a lot in common with the values which we as a group of young people held at the time. So we got to know the Red Cross. We saw that  its philosophy and its activities represented our values so we joined and made a commitment to the Red Cross, a commitment that continues to the present day”.

He quickly got involved in a wide range of activities.

“I was involved in all the activities of a young Red Cross activist, from lifesaving on the beach to roadside rescue and from training new members to helping pensioners. These were the principal activities which occupied our first years within our group in the Red Cross”

That initial group of Red Cross volunteers have maintained a strong involvement over the years.

“An important part of the group is still very active in within the Red Cross and we still share many social concerns, many still working at the local level where they work through the local Las Palmas Branch, whilst I have gone on to a national and international involvement”.

No sooner joining the Red Cross than Juan Manuel started to learn  about the basis of this incredible global organisation.

“The fundamental principles on which all actions of the components of the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent are just that – fundamental! They are what makes us different from other humanitarian organisations, and they allow us access to all vulnerable people, without differentiating between races, religions, creeds etc. Application of these principles in all we do allows us to fully implement our mandate of assistance to vulnerable people everywhere.  Therefore, all efforts to teach them to youth – who are the future of the Movement, to governments, to all sectors of society, will help everyone strive for a better, more humane world. The principles may be theoretical, but their practical application is what allows help to reach those who need it most and make a real difference in their lives”.

In terms of the activities he was involved in as a Red Cross volunteer, Juan Manuel finds it hard to single any out:

“I have so many memories, it is hard to know which is the most important, where we had the biggest impact. In those years there were some times when I was rushing on a beach to save a life, at others, and just as important, was helping in an old peoples home at Christmas where you can bring a little happiness. 

“There are so many aspects to the services of the Red Cross. Thirty years on from my first involvement, I have seen the Red Cross helping victims of disasters such as a tsunami and working where AIDS has affected many families. Or you go to a centre for drug addicts and see if you can help them. Or it is the Red Cross that is there when some groups of immigrants arrive on the coasts of rich countries escaping from famine in their own countries where they know people are dying because of the indifference of others. I couldn’t say what affects me most. I believe everything in some way has an impact and it is important not to lose one’s sensitivity.”

Through the Red Cross youth Juan Manuel soon became involved on a national scale.

“A group of us were put in charge of all the summer training programmes of the Red Cross Youth of Spain, and this included the training of young activists as well as older group leaders. It was an important national responsibility”.

Juan Manuel went on to become the President of the Canary Islands Branch of the Spanish Red Cross and also served as president of the Instituto Canario de Donación de Sangre, the Canary Islands blood donation institute.

As a young volunteer, Juan Manuel started to experience the international movement when the  Red Cross youth of Las Palmas worked together with the Red Cross of Senegal in the construction of a nursery. “It was a symbol of international co-operation.”

“We were allowed from small branches in the provinces to take part in small international projects which in one way or another made a great contribution, were great motivators for us and made a very tangible difference for vulnerable individuals and communities.”

His involvement with the Senegalese Red Cross was the beginning of an ongoing involvement with the global work of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, culminating in being elected President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in 2001 and re-elected for a second term in 2005. He had previously held posts with the International Federation as Chairman of the Development Commission, a  member of the Governing Board and as a Vice-President.

Juan Manuel finds it impossible to highlight any particular experiences he has had as President of the International Federation.

“It is difficult to pinpoint any  one thing. One action is just as important as another in an organisation like this – from little things like the smile of someone for whom in one way or another you see the work of the Red Cross has helped or resolved a problem, through to speaking at a meeting of the United Nations or an international corporation on behalf of the most vulnerable people.”

“Everyone is important and I believe that it’s the little things that in the end aren’t so little that solve concrete problems and little things go on being important for me in spite of my having many responsibilities and roles within the Red Cross.”

One area that readily displays the importance of little actions as well as big statements and leadership has been in the Red Cross and Red Crescent response to the HIV-AIDS Pandemic, something Juan Manuel has championed in his Presidency.

“Each year, more and more people die from the disease and it is stigma and misinformation around HIV that is killing people”, he stated on World Red Cross Day in 2003. This statement supported a worldwide education programme where the International Federation supported National Societies in taking on awareness programmes that stretched beyond their traditional activities. The campaign tackled head on the misconceptions that exist so widely.

“Some people think that they can become infected by mosquito bites, or by sharing the same toilet or even working in the same office as people with HIV AIDS, and that the only way to avoid this is to physically shun them.”

Juan Manuel highlights that poverty and inequality lie behind so much human tragedy.

“From poverty many other things follow which you can understand: AIDS hits and affects the poor more, disasters hit and affect the poor more; other types of illness and disease affect the poor more. In contrast, the more you have the less vulnerable you are to a disaster, to an illness, you are less vulnerable to many things. With education and access to information vulnerability is reduced.”

As President of the International Federation, Juan Manuel is tireless. He never stops travelling the world and speaking out on behalf of the vulnerable. He never stops meeting Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers, being inspired by them and thanking them for all that they do.

“I believe that solidarity between National Societies is vital in furthering the humanitarian work of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. I would also point out that encouraging and fostering solidarity between National Societies around the world is an essential role of the International Federation.”

Juan Manuel has been widely recognised and honoured for his role in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. He has been awarded medals and awards from countries as far apart as Vietnam, Turkey and Chile. But one of his greatest recognitions was back at home when in 2004 he was named ‘Illustrious Canarian of the Year’.

Juan Manuel sums up his life in the Red Cross as one of seeing ordinary people do extraordinary things:

“I believe that in the history of everyday life, today there are many people who are true heroes, that do a lot for themselves and for the people around them. The Red Cross is full of such examples. I am continually discovering and admiring people who, in spite of personal difficulties and, above all, in places where there are major difficulties to overcome, you see amazing solidarity – greater solidarity than you find in more wealthy areas. And so one learns that the big heroes lie in the little things individuals do, often in the context of poverty.”

In November 2005 in Seoul, South Korea, Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro was re-elected as President of the International Federation to a second four-year term. Suarez del Toro renewed his commitment to keep working for the Movement and for the people we dedicate our work and actions to the most vulnerable.

“Personally, this means a lot to me. More than 30 years ago I started my adventure in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. That a volunteer can become a president of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies still touches me,” said Juan Manuel.

During his term, Suárez del Toro initiated the “Federation of the Future” process which aims to increase the scale and scope of the Red Cross Red Crescent actions to address the world’s most urgent humanitarian issues.