The Statutory Bodies of the International Federation, are those bodies having governance functions, which are:

• The General Assembly;
• The Governing Board;
• The President;

and the body with executive functions, which is the Secretary General.

The General Assembly shall, among others, exercise the following functions:

a) determine the general policies that govern the International Federation and the National Societies;

b) take decisions on the admission of National Societies and expulsion as set out in Articles 7 and 13 respectively;

c) elect the President of the International Federation;

d) elect those four National Societies, one from each region, which shall be entitled to appoint a Vice-President of the International Federation ("Vice-President");

e) elect the National Societies members of the Governing Board;

f) appoint members of the constitutional commissions and committees;

g) designate the representatives of the International Federation to the bodies of the Movement;

h) set up other bodies, including, among others, advisory bodies and bodies with legal status required for the activities of the International Federation, and to appoint their members;

i) designate as external auditors, on the recommendation of the Governing Board, a firm of internationally recognised independent auditors;

j) approve, on biennial plans, Federation;

k) take note of the report of the external auditors;

l) approve, on the recommendation of the Governing Board and the Finance Commission, the annual scale of contributions of the National Societies;

m) amend the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure and adopt any other regulations necessary for the implementation of the Constitution;

n) consider the reports of the Governing Board and Secretary General and of all bodies set up by the General Assembly and discharge the Secretary General and the Governing Board on its delegated activities;

o) decide on the proposals presented by National Societies, the Governing Board and other bodies of the International Federation;

p) ratify general agreements concluded with the International Committee of the Red Cross or any other international organisation or institution that create obligations for National Societies; and

q) decide on the transfer of the headquarters of the International Federation.

The General Assembly may not delegate to another body of the International Federation the powers defined in paragraph 1 of this Article, with the exception of the following, which are hereby delegated to the Governing Board between sessions of the General Assembly and until the General Assembly decides otherwise:

• a) set up commissions and committees, including, among others, those with legal status, required for the activities of the International Federation, and to appoint their members;
• b) decide on the reports of bodies set up by the General Assembly;
• c) decide on proposals presented by National Societies or other bodies of the International Federation; and
• d) designate the representatives of the International Federation to the bodies of the Movement;

The Governing Board shall be composed of :

• a) the President;
• b) the four Vice-Presidents;
• c) the ex officio Vice-President;
• d) twenty National Societies;
• e) the Chair of the Finance Commission;
• f) the Chair of the Youth Commission.

The Governing Board shall exercise the following functions :

• a) decide on any matter assigned or delegated to it by the Constitution or by the General Assembly;
• b) appoint and dismiss the Secretary General of the International Federation;
• c) define, within the framework of the general policies determined by the General Assembly, the policies for the various fields of activity of the International Federation and the National Societies;
• d) interpret the decisions of the General Assembly, advise the President and give guidance and support to the Secretary General in implementing the decisions of the General Assembly;
• e) monitor on behalf of the General Assembly the implementation of the mandates entrusted to the International Federation by the International Conference;
• f) draw up the provisional agenda of the General Assembly;
• g) submit advice and proposals to the General Assembly when so requested by the latter or on its own initiative;
• h) submit to the General Assembly the proposed members of the Election Committee;
• i) study any questions relating to the implementation of the functions of the International Federation, and submit advice and proposals in this respect to the General Assembly;
• j) recommend to the General Assembly as external auditor a firm of internationally recognised independent auditors;
• k) examine the reports on activities as well as the financial and budgetary reports and reports on risk matters presented by the Secretary General and the Finance Commission, and recommend, for final approval by the General Assembly, the biennial budget, plans and financial reports of the International Federation, including the scale of contributions of National Societies and the formula for fixing their financial participation;
• l) ratify general agreements concluded with the International Committee of the Red Cross and any other international organisation or institution not requiring General Assembly ratification as set out in Article 17.1.p;
• m) provisionally admit the National Societies,
• n) apply any or a combination of the following sanctions towards National Societies in case of a breach of integrity:
  • recommend a particular action to one or more National Societies;
  • render the breach public or may make an appeal to the conscience of the world;
  • terminate any International Federation support to the National Society;
  • suspend the National Society;
  • take any other measure it deems appropriate;
  • as a last resort, recommend to the General Assembly that the National Society be expelled
• o) declare in default National Societies that have not paid their annual contribution in accordance with Article 35;
• p) approve the selection of candidates for appointment to the posts of (or equivalent to) Deputy and Under Secretaries General or Directors; and
• q) approve the outline structure of the Secretariat of the International Federation proposed by the Secretary General.

The President shall :

• a) convene and preside over the sessions of the General Assembly and the Governing Board;
• b) present to the General Assembly a review of the state of the International Federation;
• c) present to the Governing Board and General Assembly the report of a firm of internationally recognised independent auditors;
• d) co-ordinate the work of the governance bodies, commissions and committees of the International Federation;
• e) represent the International Federation in its relations with the other components of the Movement and with other international organisations and institutions;
• f) have the ability to call upon the Vice-Presidents and the Chair of the Finance Commission, to assist him/her individually or collectively, in his/her functions;
• g) carry out any other function entrusted by the General Assembly or by the Governing Board.

The President of the National Society of the country in which the International Federation has its headquarters or his/her designated representative appointed from and by the governing body of that Society shall be ex officio Vice-President.

The elected Vice-Presidents shall:

• a) ensure communication on governance matters between the General Assembly, the Governing Board and the National Societies in their regions; and
• b) promote the decisions of the General Assembly and Governing Board, particularly in their regions.

The Secretary General, as defined in Article 14 is the Chief Executive Officer of the International Federation and carries out the following functions:

• a) implement the decisions of the General Assembly and the Governing Board;
• b) be responsible for the administration of the approved budget, in accordance with Article 36.6;
• c) direct the Secretariat and be responsible for the execution of the work entrusted to it;
• d) organise the different services of the Secretariat in accordance with the decisions of the General Assembly and of the Governing Board; appoint the staff of the Secretariat, keeping in mind the principles of gender equality and geographical distribution; and when necessary terminate the engagements of such staff;
• e) make appointments to the posts of (or equivalent to) Deputy and Under Secretaries General, such as Directors, after obtaining the Governing Board’s approval of the candidates selected by him/her;
• f) in the absence of the President or as otherwise agreed appropriate, represent the International Federation in its relations with other components of the Movement and with other international organisations and institutions;
• g) be the authorised representative of the International Federation in relation to third parties and courts of law for all transactions whatsoever, including transactions executed in notarial form relating to the acquisition, administration and expenditure of the resources of the International Federation;
• h) assure the execution of the functions set out in Article 5, including direct relief actions or other actions decided upon by the General Assembly or the Governing Board. In exceptional or urgent circumstances, the Secretary General shall take all appropriate measures after consultation with the National Society concerned to the extent possible;
• i) carry out any other function assigned to him/her by the Constitution or entrusted to him/her by the General Assembly or the Governing Board;
• j) report on the activities of the Federation to the General Assembly and to the Governing Board;
• k) keep the President and Vice-Presidents, as appropriate, closely informed in carrying out his/her functions; and
• l) establish relations with those National Societies or organisations recognised as auxiliaries to the public authorities in the humanitarian field who accept and respect in their action the Fundamental Principles, even though they may not be components of the Movement or members of the International Federation.

The Secretary General shall ex officio be secretary of the General Assembly and of the Governing Board and, unless the Constitution provides otherwise, of all bodies set up by the General Assembly and the Governing Board. The Secretary General may delegate these functions to other officials of the Secretariat.