On 29 February 2008, the agreement on the hosting of the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education by the French Red Cross was prolonged for five years. At the signing ceremony, held in Paris, Ibrahim Osman, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Deputy Secretary General reaffirmed the importance of first aid services and first aid education which are a priority not only at the community level, but also at the global one as regards health issues. Stressing that "these life-saving skills" should be accessible to all, he pointed to the concrete results achieved by first aid education: "...not only by reducing the number of deaths and injuries but also by helping people to build safer and healthier communities in injury, disease prevention and health promotion."

The European Reference Centre for First Aid Education has been managed by the French Red Cross since 2003. "First aid is a priority in most of the National Societies, it is at the heart of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. The French Red Cross is happy to continue to host this Reference Centre and will continue to actively promote the sharing of knowledge, resources and technical expertise in first aid," said Olivier Brault, Director General of the French Red Cross.