Red Cross Red Crescent - our working partners

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Working partners

The International Federation works through its National Societies and with the International Committee of the Red Cross, but it also collaborates with many other organizations in order to carry out its work more effectively.

Since 1994, the Federation has had Observer status with the United Nations General Assembly, giving it the opportunity to take part in international debates at the highest level, and access to negotiations and deliberations within the structures of almost all international organisations.

In addition, the Federation has utilised its international legal personality to build working agreements with a wide range of international partners, focussing on the priorities set by Strategy 2010: disaster preparedness and response, health and care in the community, and the promotion of principles and values.

View current active agreements at regional and global level

Promotion of fundamental principles and humanitarian values – National Societies have traditionally worked to spread knowledge of the Fundamental Principles and international humanitarian law. To facilitate the dissemination and the understanding of the principles and values, at international level the Federation has developed working relations with other organisations, such as the International Olympic Committee, United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Volunteers, the UN Population Fund, UNAIDS and many others.

Disaster response - The Federation collaborates with international bodies and many non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations to improve the effectiveness of its assistance to beneficiaries, and to help establish standards and procedures for its humanitarian work. Partners include the European Union (ECHO) and United Nations (UN) agencies in particular those who are the members of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) such as the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), theUN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF. Collaborative work with OCHA is a key element in the furtherance of the Federation’s International Disaster Response Law Project (IDRL). The Federation, together with ICRC, is one of the standing invitees of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), which brings together all the major agencies involved in emergency response.

Disaster preparedness – The Federation aims to ensure that assistance is not only for immediate relief but that it also contributes to sustainable development. This includes capacity building in infrastructure and non-structure sectors for disaster reduction and mitigation. The Federation, together with Netherlands Red Cross (the Climate Change Centre), works closely with the United Nations Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the United Nations Environment Program the ProVention Consortium, Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, and others.

Health and Care in the Community - The Federation continues to build partnerships with regional and international institutions to address global health issues and to build on National Societies’ comparative advantages and capacity to complement their national and local efforts. The International Partnership against AIDS in Africa and the WHO-led Stop TB and Roll Back Malaria campaigns will specifically be used as frameworks for joint experiences in pilot countries.

The Federation has also formal agreements with several organisations for cooperation, such as with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, WHO's South-East Asia Regional Office, the Pan American Health Organisation, United Nations Population Fund, as well as organisations like GNP+ and the OPEC Fund. Active cooperation takes place with many other relevant organisations, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as a consequence of the Federation's Observer status with the UN General Assembly.

Other areas

Development - The Federation acts to strengthen the capacities of National Societies worldwide. It aims to ensure that this assistance is sustainable and consistent. To enhance cooperation in this area, the Federation has developed a tripartite process with 7 donor governments and their National Societies.
Training - The Federation and its RC/RC National Societies work together with UNHCR and its country offices to develop and implement First Aid Training for UNHCR staff, compatible with local needs, and in accordance with the agreed guidelines.
Research - The Federation works in partnership with research institutions, universities and the private sector to share experiences and monitor trends in humanitarian assistance including funding, standards and methodologies. The value of the World Disaster Report, which published by the Federation annually, has been recognised by its peer organisations and used as a reference paper.
Inter Agency Initiatives - Another dimension of partnerships is that which comes from the Federation’s work with a number of different partners in sectoral fields. They include centres covering:
- Sphere (hosted by the Federation),
- Reach Out (hosted by the Federation),
- Climate Change and Disaster Preparedness (hosted by the Netherlands Red Cross),
- ProVention Consortium (disaster preparedness, hosted at the Federation),
- Psychological Support (Danish Red Cross),
- European First Aid Education (French Red Cross),
- Global Road Safety Partnership (Federation and its EU/RC Office in Brussels),
- Code of Practice for NGOs working in HIV/AIDS (Federation),
- Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response,
- Inter-Agency Standing Committee.

At a local and national level, National Societies build partnerships with community groups, businesses, government ministries and inter-governmental agencies, to enable them to integrate their programmes and services in each country more effectively.

This work is supported at the regional level by the Federation's representational activity, including with UN regional organisations and others, such as the League of Arab States and the Organisation of American States.

The Movement's International Conference, held every four years, brings the National Societies, the Federation and the ICRC together with states party to the Geneva Conventions to discuss and decide on actions in the humanitarian field. The 28th International Conference was held in Geneva in December 2003, with the theme of Protecting Human Dignity, and adopted an Agenda for Humanitarian Action.