Annual report

Annual Overview 
| About the IFRC 
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7. 
To encourage and coordinate between 
National Societies the exchange of ideas 
for the education of children and young 
people in humanitarian ideals and for the 
development of friendly relations between 
young people of all countries.
8. 
To assist National Societies to recruit mem-
bers from the population as a whole and 
inculcate the principles and ideals of the 
Movement.
9. 
To bring help to people affected by armed 
conflicts in accordance with the agree-
ments concluded with the International 
Committee of the Red Cross. 
10. 
To assist the International Committee of the 
Red Cross in the promotion and develop-
ment of international humanitarian law and 
collaborate with it in the dissemination of 
this law and of the Fundamental Principles 
of the Movement among the National 
Societies.
11. 
To be the official representative of the 
member Societies in the international field, 
inter alia for dealing with decisions and 
recommendations adopted by its Assembly 
and to be the guardian of their integrity and 
the protector of their interests. 
National Societies are the bedrock of the IFRC. 
They carry out their humanitarian activities 
in conformity with their statutes and national 
legislation in accordance with the Fundamental 
Principles and within the framework of globally 
agreed policies and strategies. The National 
Societies are auxiliaries to the public authorities 
in the humanitarian field.
Within their own countries, National Societies 
are autonomous national organizations provid-
ing an indispensable framework for the activities 
of their voluntary members and their staff. They 
cooperate with the public authorities in the 
prevention of disease, the promotion of health 
and the mitigation of human suffering by their 
own programmes in such fields as education, 
health and social welfare, for the benefit of the 
community. 
They organize, in liaison with the public author-
ities, emergency relief operations and other 
services to assist people affected by armed 
conflicts as provided in the Geneva Conventions, 
and people affected by natural disasters and 
other emergencies for whom help is needed. 
They disseminate and assist their governments 
in disseminating international humanitarian law; 
they take initiatives in this respect. They dissem-
inate the principles and ideals of the Movement 
and assist those governments which also dis-
seminate them. They also cooperate with their 
governments to ensure respect for international 
humanitarian law and to protect the distinctive 
emblems recognized by the Geneva Conventions 
and their Additional Protocols. 
Internationally, National Societies, each within 
the limits of its resources, give assistance to 
people affected by disasters and crises guided 
by the Principles and Rules for International 
Humanitarian Assistance. 
They contribute, as far as they are able, to the 
development of other National Societies which 
require such assistance. 
The IFRC network has some 16.5 million active 
Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers living 
and working in at-risk communities around the 
world. They deliver truly local humanitarian 
action through some 197,000 local branches and 
units before, during, and after a disaster or crisis.
Their local action is backed by the global reach, 
technical support, knowledge sharing and inter-
national influence of the IFRC, which supports 
National Societies through a decentralized 
structure focused on providing tailored support 
to boost localization.
The international status of the IFRC allows for a 
cost-effective approach to supporting National 
Societies, for example in global procurement and 
providing sustainable and scalable digital solu-
tions. The IFRC’s coordination also optimizes the 
collective resources available for international 
support between member National Societies.