Annual report

Movement Implemen- 
tation Teams
was revised at the end of 2022, 
reducing the number of such teams and updat-
ing plans of action for 2023-2024. A one-day 
face-to-face workshop was held to discuss the 
way forward.
Coordination with external actors is ensured 
through regular dialogues at country, regional 
and global levels, with Government authorities, 
the diplomatic community and the humanitarian 
eco-system as well as the private sector.
This is carried out to position the IFRC net-
work and profile the difference Red Cross and 
Red Crescent volunteers and staff make at 
Enabling Functions
| Strategic and operational coordination 
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community level. External coordination is also 
about reinforcing National Societies’ auxiliary 
role in the humanitarian field to assist people 
when they most need relief or protection. These 
actions contribute to ensuring the IFRC network 
is seen as a partner of choice.
Working with external actors
While the IFRC is the world’s largest humanitar-
ian organization, it is by no means the only one. 
Close and constant communication is needed 
to ensure that the work of each organization 
is complementary, to reduce any overlap, and 
increase efficiency and effectiveness.
The IFRC is committed to engaging with a vari-
ety of humanitarian actors and participating 
in well-known and respected coordination 
mechanisms, while maintaining its neutrality, 
impartiality, and independence. An overview 
of this work – and progress in 2022 – is pre-
sented below.
Inter-Agency Standing Committee
The 
Inter-Agency Standing Committee
(IASC) 
is the humanitarian coordination forum of 
the UN system, bringing together 18 UN and 
non-UN organizations to ensure coherence of 
preparedness and response efforts, formulate 
policy, and agree on priorities for strengthened 
humanitarian action.
While the IFRC coordinates with UN partners 
and other agencies, it is not coordinated by such 
entities at any point. This is an important distinc-
tion, ensuring that the IFRC can engage without 
compromising the principles of impartiality, 
independence, and neutrality. These principles 
are cornerstones of the IFRC, and they enable 
the IFRC to be trusted by, and have access to, 
communities that other organizations may not 
be able to reach and assist.
The IFRC engages at all levels of the IASC in a 
consistent and informed manner and, where 
appropriate, promotes the inclusion of, and 
investment in, national and local actors. This 
engagement includes at Global level, the IASC 
principals; Deputies forum; Emergency Directors 
group; and the Operations, Policy and Advocacy 
group, and participation in Humanitarian 
Country Teams at national level.
The Global Shelter Cluster
At the 2005 General Assembly, the IFRC agreed 
to take up an IASC leadership role in the pro-
vision of emergency shelter in natural disasters. 
To coordinate the Shelter Cluster at the country 
level, the IFRC deploys a Shelter Coordination 
Team. The shelter coordination team serves as a 
‘secretariat’ of the Shelter Cluster. Its dedicated, 
full-time staff work exclusively on coordination 
services to shelter agencies. There is separation 
between the Shelter Cluster convener and IFRC’s 
operational roles.
Climate Change subgroup
In September 2022, the Deputies established 
a new IASC Climate Change Working Group, in 
which the IFRC has played a co-lead role.
The group is to consider the potential role of 
the IASC in addressing the climate crisis, coor-
dinate the development of common messaging 
for key climate and environment milestones, 
propose recommendations on strengthening