International Committee of the Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an independent, neutral, and impartial humanitarian organization responsible for protecting and assisting victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. Established on 17 February 1863 by Henry Dunant, Gustave Moynier, and four other citizens of Geneva, the organization played a central role in the development of modern international humanitarian law and the creation of the Geneva Conventions. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the ICRC is the founding institution of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and operates under mandates conferred by the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. It has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize three times—in 1917, 1944, and 1963—for its humanitarian work during armed conflicts.

The International Committee of the Red Cross provides humanitarian protection and assistance to people affected by international and non-international armed conflicts. Its principal responsibilities include visiting prisoners of war and detainees, facilitating family reunification, restoring family links, providing emergency medical care, ensuring access to food, water, and shelter, promoting respect for international humanitarian law, and protecting civilians from the effects of armed conflict. The ICRC also serves as a neutral intermediary between parties to conflicts, conducts confidential dialogue with governments and armed groups, supports the treatment of the wounded and sick, and monitors compliance with the Geneva Conventions and customary international humanitarian law.

In addition to operational humanitarian activities, the ICRC conducts legal research, policy development, and capacity-building relating to international humanitarian law, protection of civilians, detention standards, missing persons, humanitarian diplomacy, and emerging challenges posed by cyber warfare, autonomous weapons systems, artificial intelligence, and climate-related humanitarian crises. The organization publishes legal commentaries, guidance documents, and research on the law of armed conflict while supporting the dissemination and implementation of humanitarian law among governments, armed forces, academic institutions, and civil society organizations. Through confidential humanitarian engagement and evidence-based policy development, the ICRC contributes to strengthening compliance with international humanitarian norms worldwide.

The International Committee of the Red Cross works closely with institutions including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the United Nations, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. It also cooperates with governments, armed forces, humanitarian organizations, and international courts in matters relating to humanitarian protection and international humanitarian law. Through humanitarian assistance, legal advocacy, and neutral engagement in armed conflicts, the ICRC serves as one of the world's foremost institutions dedicated to protecting human dignity during war and other situations of violence.