Organizations of the Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement The International Red Cross Movement The International Committee of the Red Cross The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The American Red Cross The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement at Work "The International Red Cross Movement." "The International Committee of the Red Cross." "The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies." "National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies." "The American Red Cross." Anyone doing a keyword search on the "Red Cross" could easily become confused by all the terms it generates. What do they all mean? What distinguishes them from one another? The International Red Cross Movement This is an umbrella term which refers to all the organizations, national and international, allowed to use the Red Cross emblem (the Red Crescent emblem in Moslem countries) and all the activities they undertake to relieve human suffering throughout the world, whether it be in war time, in response to natural or man-made disasters, or in order to prevent disasters from occurring. The Movement is meant to transcend all political, racial, and religious boundaries and to maintain a neutral stance in conflicts. The highest decision-making body of the Movement is the International Conference which meets on the average of every four years to ensure unity in the work of the Movement and to discuss and act upon humanitarian issues of common interest. Delegates to the International Conference are members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, national societies and representatives from the national governments that have ratified the treaties governing conduct during periods of armed conflict (see "Geneva Conventions" below). In 1965, the 20th International Conference of the Red Cross proclaimed a set of Fundamental Principles as a guide to universal humanitarian conduct. They are: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity, and Universality. (See the end of this History Note for the full statement of the Principles.) The International Committee of the Red Cross This is the original Red Cross organization, a private Swiss institution that acts as a neutral intermediary in matters of human suffering related to international conflicts, civil wars, and internal social, political, and military disturbances throughout the world. It provides protection and assistance to both military and civilian victims of conflicts, including war wounded, prisoners of war, civilian and political detainees, and civilian populations in occupied and enemy territories. Among its many activities, the ICRC searches for missing persons, exchanges messages to and from members of separated families, helps establish hospital and security zones in embattled areas, organizes international aid programs and medical assistance for refugees, displaced people, and other civilian victims of armed conflicts, and promotes the application of international humanitarian law to armed conflicts. The International Committee is composed of up to 25 Swiss citizens who oversee an ICRC headquarters staff of more than 600 in Geneva, Switzerland, plus several thousand field workers deployed in troubled areas of the world. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The Federation is a coalition of individual national societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent that coordinates relief efforts throughout the world occurring outside the theater of war and other forms of armed conflict. The Federation's activities include organizing and coordinating international natural disaster relief actions, providing assistance to refugees outside areas of conflict, promoting national disaster preparedness programs, encouraging the development of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in all the countries of the world, and advising national societies in the development of services for their countries. The Federation is governed by a General Assembly of all member societies and an Executive Council. A Secretariat with a staff of 250, also located in Geneva, conducts day-to-day business and directs the work of country and regional delegations assisting national societies in relief and development projects. The National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies These are the individual societies of nearly every independent country in the world. Chartered, as they must be, by their respective governments, they conduct health, welfare, and safety programs within their own borders and cooperate with other national societies bilaterally, regionally, and through the Federation on relief and other projects. They also assist their own governments in carrying out each nation's humanitarian treaty obligations. Each country is allowed to charter only one Red Cross or Red Crescent society within its territory. Nearly all national societies apply for membership and are accepted into the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The American Red Cross One of the more than 175 national societies throughout the world is our own American Red Cross, with its national headquarters in Washington, D.C. and over 1300 local chapters throughout the country. The ARC is dedicated to helping make families and communities safe at home and around the world. A volunteer-led humanitarian service organization, it annually provides almost half of the nation's blood supply, trains almost 12 million people in vital lifesaving skills, mobilizes relief to victims of disasters nationwide, provides direct health services to nearly 3 million people, assists international disaster and conflict victims in other countries, and transmits over a million emergency messages to members of the U.S. Armed forces and their families. The ARC shares most characteristics with other national societies. It is dedicated to the Fundamental Principles of the Movement. It participates in all activities of the Movement, supports the role of the ICRC in conflict zones, and works alongside other national societies in the Federation and in bilateral arrangements on a wide variety relief and disaster prevention activities. It also provides a major amount of financial support to the ICRC and the Federation. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement at Work At any given moment, all the member parties of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are involved in service somewhere in the world. The ICRC is instructing parties involved in conflict of their obligations to international humanitarian law in such matters as treatment of refugees and prisoners of war, and is conducting medical, refugee, and other relief efforts of its own in or near battle zones. Members of the Federation are working together to assist national societies recover from natural disasters and take steps to prevent recurrent problems. Individual national societies are busy training for and responding to emergencies within their own borders and working with other national societies on activities of common interest. In 1998 the ARC joined a number of other national societies and the Federation in assisting the Nicaraguan and Honduran Red Cross Societies provide relief from the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch. At the same time, the ARC was cooperating with other national societies and the Federation on relief efforts in other parts of the world. On the domestic front, the ARC responds to about 60,000 calls for help each year, covering everything from apartment fires affecting only individual families to massive flooding and storm damage that affects whole states and regional areas. Part II Historical Background Principles of the Red Cross Bibliography & Web Site Links American Red Cross, Ouachita Area Chapter 104 Blackstone Court P.O. Box 1362 Hot Springs, Arkansas 71902 Phone:  501-623-9321 Fax: 501-623-8499 Email:  arcgcc@swbell.net