Annual report

FUNCTIONS
140
Annual Report 
2022

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STRATEGIC AND 
OPERATIONAL 
COORDINATION
Context
The IFRC has a statutory mandate to coordinate. 
Since the creation of the IFRC in 1919, ensuring 
that effective coordination among its members 
to achieve an efficient humanitarian response 
alongside our Fundamental Principles has been 
guiding our actions.
The IFRC has a constitutional mandate to ‘organize, 
coordinate and direct international relief actions 
in accordance with the ‘Principles and Rules 
for Red Cross and Red Crescent humanitarian 
Assistance’, acting through or in agreement with 
the National Society. The general aim of the IFRC 
is to inspire, encourage, facilitate and promote 
at all times all forms of humanitarian activities, 
with the objectives of ensuring the coordination 
of our international activities, the development 
and implementation of common standards and 
policies, organizational development, capacity 
building and effective international disaster 
management, and of having an international 
presence and recognition as a global partner in 
humanitarian assistance.
Our approach
Coordination brings together major actors 
to determine a common purpose, agree 
approaches and to guide action. It avoids incon-
sistency in strategic delivery that can undermine 
the effectiveness of our work. 
Achieving robust coordination creates spaces 
of trustful engagement and solidarity, working 
together to explore challenges and to identify 
potential solutions.
Coordination provides opportunities for dis-
cussion and alignment on issues including 
scaling up our collective humanitarian responses, 
increasing our collective humanitarian impact, 
humanitarian diplomacy activities, ensuring 
our financial resources, investing in building our 
human capital, effectively managing risks, and 
agreeing integrity protocols.
The IFRC’s coordination involves co-creation in 
assessing the humanitarian context and needs; 
agreeing common priorities; co-developing 
strategies to address issues such as obtaining 
greater humanitarian access, acceptance and 
space; mobilizing funding and other resources; 
creating consistent public messaging; and mon-
itoring progress.