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International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 16 million volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

"Red Cross" redirects here. For other uses, see Red Cross (disambiguation).

Abbreviation

ICRC and IFRC

NGO, NPO

Humanitarianism

Geneva

Worldwide

Aid

UN (United Nations General Assembly: both ICRC and IFRC)

Mirjana Spoljaric Egger (President)

c. 180,000

c. 16.4 million[1]

www.icrc.org

The foundation of national relief societies for wounded soldiers;

Neutrality and protection for wounded soldiers;

The utilization of volunteer forces for relief assistance on the battlefield;

The organization of additional conferences to enact these concepts;

The introduction of a common distinctive protection symbol for medical personnel in the field, namely a white armlet bearing a red cross.

to monitor compliance of warring parties with the Geneva Conventions

to organize nursing and care for those who are wounded on the battlefield

to supervise the treatment of prisoners of war

to help with the search for missing persons in an armed conflict ()

tracing service

to organize protection and care for civil populations

to arbitrate between warring parties in an armed conflict

to promote humanitarian principles and values

to provide relief assistance in emergency situations of large magnitude, such as natural disasters

to support the national societies with disaster preparedness through the education of voluntary members and the provision of equipment and relief supplies

to support local health care projects

to support the national societies with youth-related activities

Hostage crisis allegations[edit]

The Australian TV network the ABC and the indigenous rights group Rettet die Naturvölker released a documentary called Blood on the Cross in 1999. It alleged the involvement of the Red Cross with the British and Indonesian military in a massacre in the Southern Highlands of Western New Guinea during the World Wildlife Fund's Mapenduma hostage crisis of May 1996, when Western and Indonesian activists were held hostage by separatists.[70][71]


Following the broadcast of the documentary, the Red Cross announced publicly that it would appoint an individual outside the organization to investigate the allegations made in the film and any responsibility on its part. Piotr Obuchowicz was appointed to investigate the matter.[72] The report categorically states that the Red Cross personnel accused of involvement were proven not to have been present; that a white helicopter was probably used in a military operation, but the helicopter was not a Red Cross helicopter, and must have been painted by one of several military organizations operating in the region at the time. Perhaps the Red Cross logo itself was also used, although no hard evidence was found for this; that this was part of the military operation to free the hostages, but was clearly intended to achieve surprise by deceiving the local people into thinking that a Red Cross helicopter was landing; and that the Red Cross should have responded more quickly and thoroughly to investigate the allegations than it did.[73]

Emblems of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

First Aid Convention Europe

List of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day

UniRef

The International RCRC Movement – Who we are

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent

International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent

in the Dodis database of the Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

46°13′40″N 6°8′14″E / 46.22778°N 6.13722°E / 46.22778; 6.13722