International Committee of the Red Cross

Description

The International Committee of the Red Cross is a neutral, independent humanitarian organization that protects and assists people affected by armed conflict and other violence. It provides food, clean water, health care and shelter to people caught up in war, and works to prevent and ease suffering caused by internal disturbances and other forms of violence. The organization also works to reunite separated families and trace missing persons. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

The ICRC promotes respect for international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, among states, armed groups and other parties to conflict. It advocates for the rights and protection of civilians, prisoners and other vulnerable people, and engages governments and non-state actors to build humanitarian principles into policy and practice. Neutrality, independence and impartiality guide its work, which lets it operate on front lines that other organizations cannot reach.

The organization traces its origins to 1863, when a committee formed in Geneva after Henry Dunant proposed relief societies for wounded soldiers following the Battle of Solferino. Its work led to the first Geneva Convention in 1864, and it took the name International Committee of the Red Cross in 1876. It is part of the wider International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, alongside the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the world.