The Inter­na­tional Com­mit­tee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impar­tial, neu­tral and inde­pen­dent orga­ni­za­tion whose exclu­sively human­i­tar­ian mis­sion is to pro­tect the lives and dig­nity of vic­tims of armed con­flict and other sit­u­a­tions of vio­lence and to pro­vide them with assistance.

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

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.

Man­date

A per­ma­nent man­date founded in inter­na­tional law, a world­wide mis­sion to help vic­tims of con­flicts and inter­nal vio­lence, who­ever they are. The ICRC’s man­date in the Geneva Con­ven­tions and in the Statutes of the Inter­na­tional Red Cross and Red Cres­cent Move­ment; arti­cles on the mis­sion, sta­tus and objec­tives of the ICRC.

The ICRC has a legal man­date from the inter­na­tional com­mu­nity. That man­date has two sources:

* the 1949 Geneva Con­ven­tions, which task the ICRC with vis­it­ing pris­on­ers, orga­niz­ing relief oper­a­tions, re-uniting sep­a­rated fam­i­lies and sim­i­lar human­i­tar­ian activ­i­ties dur­ing armed conflicts;

* the Statutes of the Inter­na­tional Red Cross and Red Cres­cent Move­ment (Move­ment), which encour­age it to under­take sim­i­lar work in sit­u­a­tions of inter­nal vio­lence, where the Geneva Con­ven­tions do not apply.

The Geneva Con­ven­tions are bind­ing instru­ments of inter­na­tional law, applic­a­ble world­wide. The Statutes of the Move­ment are adopted at the Inter­na­tional Con­fer­ence of the Red Cross and Red Cres­cent, which takes place every four years, and at which States that are party to the Geneva Con­ven­tions take part, thereby con­fer­ring a quasi-legal or “soft law” sta­tus on the Statutes.

For more infor­ma­tion on the ICRC visit their web­site:
www.icrc.org

News from ICRC

• Bolivia: ICRC offers advice and exper­tise to Boli­vian institutions
• Chile: ocean vic­tims get back in touch with families
• Nige­ria: Red Cross assist­ing vic­tims of Jos violence
• Sudan: vio­lence threat­ens civil­ians in the south
• Photo exhi­bi­tion Human­ity in War opens at the Inter­na­tional Red Cross and Red Cres­cent Museum

Sources: icrc.org