The work of the ICRC is based on the Geneva Conventions of 1949, their Additional Protocols, its Statutes and those of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the resolutions of the International Conferences of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

The ICRC endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.

The ICRC is an independent, neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. It takes action in response to emergencies and at the same time promotes respect for international humanitarian law and its implementation in national law.

Established in 1863, the ICRC is at the origin of the Geneva Conventions and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It directs and coordinates the international activities conducted by the Movement in armed conflicts and other situations of violence.

Some of the multiple areas the ICRC works in are: emergency relief, first aid and hospital care; water, sanitation and habitat; physical rehabilitation; restoring family links and helping people deprived of their freedom as a result of a military conflict.

The ICRC works all over the world, conducting protection and assistance activities in more than 110 countries.

Within each context, the ICRC has multiple objectives and activities run simultaneously, by multidisciplinary teams, to meet the varied needs of the people affected. Every year, the ICRC outlines its headway in an Annual Report. The latest report can be found at the ICRC page at Guidestar (section “Additional documents")

The ICRC goals are to:

protect the lives and dignity of all the people who are not, or no longer, taking part in the violence;

promote greater adherence to and respect for the laws that protect them in order to eradicate the causes of the suffering and to prevent any further occurrence

save lives and improve people's living conditions through material assistance (e.g. food, shelter, water, sanitation, medical and surgical care, rehabilitation for the physically disabled, livelihood support) and family contact

COVID19 objectives: https://www.icrc.org/en/document/icrc-operational-response-covid-19

https://www.icrc.org/en/person/peter-maurer

Here is an overview of the ICRC's six governing bodies.

The Assembly is the supreme governing body of the ICRC. It oversees all ICRC activities. It is a collegial body comprising between 15 and 25 co-opted Swiss nationals. Its president and vice-president are the president and vice-president of the ICRC. The Assembly formulates policy, defines general objectives and strategy, and approves the budget and accounts. It appoints key management officials, including the director-general, the directors and the head of the Internal Audit Unit.

The Assembly Council is a subsidiary body of the Assembly. It prepares the Assembly's activities and takes decisions, particularly on strategic financial and human resources management issues and communication.

The Office of the President is made up of a president and a vice-president. The president represents the ICRC on the international scene, bears primary responsibility for the ICRC's external relations and conducts ICRC humanitarian diplomacy in close cooperation with the Office of the Director-General. As chair of the Assembly and the Assembly Council, the president ensures that the responsibilities assigned to these two bodies remain under their control and closely monitors the running of the ICRC. The president is responsible for developing the institutional strategy and proposing it to the Assembly.

The vice-president assists the president in carrying out his duties and substitutes for the president when he is absent or unable to carry out his duties or at his request. She is also responsible for the cohesion, smooth running and development of governance and oversight mechanisms.

The Directorate is the ICRC's executive body, responsible for implementing and overseeing the institutional strategy and general objectives defined by the Assembly and the Assembly Council. The Directorate is also responsible for managing ICRC staff and ensuring the smooth running of the organization as a whole.

The Internal Audit Unit is an internal oversight body, which independently and objectively monitors and assesses the organization's performance and efficiency according to recognized international standards. The Internal Audit Unit, the Directorate and the Assembly are the three components of the internal oversight system. The Assembly, aided by the Audit Commission, has ultimate responsibility for oversight.

The Data Protection Commision (or DPC) is the ICRC body responsible for checking, independently of the other bodies and the Administration, that the ICRC's processing of personal data complies with its Rules on Personal Data Protection and other applicable rules, and for ruling on the rights of individuals when their cases or other data-protection cases are referred to it.

Worldwide

International Committee of the Red Cross

19 Avenue de la paix

1202 Geneva

Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 734 60 01

donation@icrc.org