Annual report

particular in relation to the international armed 
conflict in Ukraine. IFRC’s legal experts played 
a key role in ensuring the inclusion of the IFRC 
and its members in a number of licences, as well 
as in the landmark Security Council Resolution 
2664 introducing a cross-cutting exception for 
humanitarian action in UN sanctions regimes. 
Engagement also took place with suppliers 
and service providers to address instances 
of overcompliance, and workable solutions 
were found to ensure humanitarian assistance 
reached the most vulnerable communities. 
Data protection
The IFRC, on its own and through National Society 
partners, collects and processes vast amounts 
of personal data of vulnerable individuals around 
the globe. IFRC Data Protection experts work to 
ensure that IFRC practices are compliant with 
the internally binding Policy on the Protection of 
Personal Data, and that all processing is aligned 
with local requirements and expectations. By 
making personal data handling more efficient, 
more responsible, more transparent and more 
secure, the IFRC strives to protect individuals 
from the risks of misuse of their data, whether 
such risk is financial, physical, mental or digital.
Engaging with partners on best data practices
Policies, guidelines, templates, privacy state-
ments and other materials were designed and 
delivered by IFRC Data Protection specialists to 
achieve the goals of more robust personal data 
processing, internally and for Movement part-
ners. Virtual and in-person training sessions 
are regularly held to sensitize staff of the issues 
around personal data protection. The IFRC rou-
tinely engages with other humanitarian partners 
and international organizations to help develop 
and implement programmes that will minimize 
data collected yet allow sufficient data to enable 
well-functioning responses to humanitarian 
crises. The coordination of matters relating to 
personal data was managed across the global 
IFRC via a network of data protection focal points. 
Enhancing data sharing for humanitarian 
purposes
In 2022, a Data Sharing Agreement template was 
launched to support affected National Societies 
in facilitating the safe, reliable, and compliant 
transfer of personal data in response to the 
Ukraine crisis. By entering into these agreements, 
National Societies and the IFRC ensured the flow 
of data necessary to implement and coordinate 
the Cash programme in Ukraine and surround-
ing countries, while providing transparency of 
the data transfers to affected persons.