The Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina is created
14 December 2000

The Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina will hold its Constitutive Assembly on December 15. A single Red Cross Society will thus be established in the country.

The establishment of the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina is an historic occasion, the result of a process which has lasted for almost three years. The new Red Cross Society will be another symbol of reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Both the ICRC and the International Federation have been fully supporting the extensive dialogue and negotiation between the two existing Entity Red Cross Organisations. The formal structure that facilitated co-operation was established through the Inter-Entity Contact Group, which was formed in April 1998.

Since the Council of Ministers, at its session on 7 September 2000, passed the Decision on the Status of the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the legal foundation for the establishment of the Society was created.

With its network of local branches and volunteers, the new Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the largest non-governmental organisation in the country. It provides vital humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people through Red Cross health and home care programmes, and plays an essential role in the development of communities by promoting humanitarian values and reconciliation among the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue to carry out the humanitarian work of the Red Cross without discrimination as to nationality, sex, race, religious beliefs and political opinion, in accordance with the seven Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:


Beatriz Garlaschi, Sarajevo Tel.: + 387 71 666 009
Mobile : + 34 609 554 706

Media Service, Geneva Tel.: +41 22 730 4570
Mobile : +41 79 416 3881 here

The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.