Annual report

Annual Overview 
| About the IFRC 
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as well as water, sanitation and hygiene pro-
grammes, in order to meet the unmet needs of 
all people at risk, particularly communities that 
are marginalized or hard to reach. 
Health and care activities, and the monitoring 
and evaluation of the work done in support of 
National Societies towards the shared objectives 
of building safer and more resilient communities, 
combine to address the needs of the most vul-
nerable people, and contribute to the success of 
the Sustainable Development Goals.
The IFRC provides effective technical leadership 
to regional IFRC teams, and clear management 
guidance and innovative programme support 
for the development, adaptation and implemen-
tation of comprehensive health initiatives and 
solutions. The focus of the work is across three 
priority areas: community health; emergency 
health, and water and sanitation.
Taken as a whole, this work addresses complex 
vulnerabilities and hazards where health and 
care must be addressed alongside other needs 
in a holistic and resilience-based manner. 
Work to boost National Society success in first 
aid (commercial and otherwise) and the devel-
opment of legal frameworks to support National 
Society first aid programmes and ambitions is 
also carried out.
In 2022, the IFRC took the lead in many inno-
vative approaches to improving and protecting 
community health and wellbeing. These included 
the promotion of early and anticipatory action 
for hazards related to health and water, sanita-
tion and hygiene (WASH), digital health initiatives, 
support for universal health care, and guiding 
evidence-based emergency health and WASH 
components of IFRC response operations. 
The organization also pressed for concerted 
action to end cholera worldwide, and promoted 
the vital role played by community-based 
workers and volunteers in delivering a range of 
critical public health services. This includes sup-
port for REACH, the African Union’s Community 
Healthcare Workforce programme with the 
African Centre for Disease Control (see Spotlight 
on REACH for more information).
With mental health and the need for psycho-
social support remaining a challenge in many 
countries and contexts, particularly in the light 
of COVID-19 and the crisis in Ukraine and neigh-
bouring countries, the IFRC worked on a number 
of initiatives in support of commitments made 
during the 2019 International Conference of the 
Red Cross and Red Crescent.
These included the development of a 
community-based mental health package in 
collaboration with the Red Cross Psychosocial 
Support reference centre and Nokia, outlining a 
task-shifting approach to caring for people living 
with mental health conditions.
Global health security
Global health security must remain a priority, as 
epidemics are occurring more often, spreading 
faster and further than ever, while new infectious 
disease threats continue to emerge.
Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic have 
shown that the world must step up investment 
in preparedness now, instead of waiting for the 
next crisis to hit. Further investment is required 
to strengthen health systems and ensure 
communities and local actors are meaningfully 
engaged – and given the means – to detect 
health threats and respond to them before 
they spread.
Since the creation of the IFRC in the aftermath of 
the 1918 influenza pandemic, the organization 
has worked with the World Health Organization, 
governments and other partners to prevent, 
prepare for, respond to and recover from epi-
demics and pandemics. National Societies act 
as auxiliaries to their government and their reg-
ular health and care services and programmes 
create a bridge between communities and local 
health systems. As trusted members of their 
communities, trained staff and volunteers can 
support communities to prevent, detect and 
control outbreaks, providing a frontline response 
when an emergency strikes. In 2019, the 33rd 
International Conference of the Red Cross and