Red Cross Mission Statement Analysis

• Organization: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)   
• President: Mirjana Spoljaric Egger
• Year founded: 1863
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Number of Employees: 19,450
• Type: Humanitarian Organization
• Annual Budget (2024): CHF 2.1 Billion ($2.32 Billion)

Products & Services: Humanitarian Aid & Assistance | Disaster Relief | Primary Health Care & Rehabilitation Services | Family Tracing | Blood Services | Training & Certification | Service to the Armed Forces | Social Work | Advisory Service | Summer Camps

Competitors: World Vision | CARE International | Doctors Without Borders | International Rescue Committee | Action Against Hunger | International Medical Corps | Oxfam | Catholic Relief Services | WFP | Save the Children | WHO | AmeriCares | UNICEF

Did you know? The Red Cross has been three times winner of the Nobel Peace Prize: in 1917, 1944, and 1963.

The ICRC, simply known as the Red Cross, is a Geneva-based humanitarian organization and a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. It is part of the world’s prominent humanitarian network, the Red Crescent Movement and the International Red Cross. As of 2024, the Movement had over 190 national ICRC and IFRC societies. Each entity operates as a neutral and independent organization. However, all ICRC national societies adhere to the Red Cross’s mission, mandate, and fundamental principles. [1]

Most people recognize the Red Cross for helping people affected by humanitarian crises. The organization plays a prominent role in developing and promoting international humanitarian laws and norms. It relies on contributions to fulfill its mission and mandate. In 2023, Red Cross partners and donors contributed over 2.4 billion Swiss francs. 41% of the amount was flexible funding, allowing the organization to respond quickly to urgent humanitarian crises. [2]

Governments and the European Commission are ICRC’s top contributors with 82%, followed by private and public partners at 15%, the Movement at 2%, and supranational and global institutions at 1%. The organization spends 90% of its budget on field operations and 10% on internal bills such as employee salaries and maintaining its headquarters. In 2024, the Red Cross appealed for 2.1 billion Swiss francs ($2.32 Billion). The budget consisted of 1.9 billion Swiss francs for field operations and 244 million Swiss francs for its headquarters. [3]

To understand how the Red Cross has spearheaded international humanitarian efforts for over 160 years, here is an in-depth analysis of its mission statement, mandate, and fundamental principles:

Red Cross’s Mission Statement

To protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other violence and provide them with assistance, and prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.

The ICRC states, “We don’t take sides. We are the guardians of international humanitarian law and part of the world’s largest humanitarian network.” [4]

Here is our analysis of the Red Cross’s mission statement:

1. Protect people affected by armed conflict and violence

The Red Cross is committed to protecting victims of armed conflict and other violent acts. It fulfills this mission by maintaining a presence in conflict zones and monitoring situations. Its teams engage in confidential dialogue with warring parties to upkeep their obligations to protect civilians. These negotiations reinforce the importance of complying with international humanitarian law (IHL) and minimizing human suffering. In Jan 2025, the Red Cross urged warring parties in Sudan to respect their obligations under IHL and their Jeddah commitments. Thousands of people have died since the war between the Sudanese army and paramilitary began in Apr 2023. The Red Cross is negotiating with both parties to protect civilians and vital facilities. [5]

The Red Cross combines several strategies to protect victims of conflicts. Its teams work with conflict-affected communities to mitigate risks to their safety. For example, the organization visited 885 detention and internment facilities with 837,000 people in 2023 to ensure they were being treated humanely. It also fulfills its mission by negotiating hostage and prisoner releases, transfers, and swaps. In Jan 2025, the Red Cross transferred four hostages from Gaza to Israeli authorities and 128 detainees from Israeli detention centers to Gaza and the West Bank. 200 detainees were released in the second phase and reunited with their families. [6]

2. Assist victims of humanitarian crises

The Red Cross strives to assist millions of people affected by humanitarian crises worldwide. It adopted an impartial, neutral, and independent approach to ensure conflicting parties allow its teams to access victims in their territories. In 2023, the Red Cross had 19,450 team members working in 101 delegations and missions in over 100 countries worldwide. The Movement spent millions in volatile nations in 2023, including 245.7 CHF million in Ukraine, 153.5 CHF million in Afghanistan, 132.9 CHF million in the Syrian Arab Republic, and 113.2 CHF million in Yemen. It also spent over 65 CHF million in South Sudan, DRC, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, and Nigeria.

As an impartial and neutral organization, the Red Cross assists everyone affected by conflict, including victims and soldiers of warring factions. The organization leverages its budget to help individuals and communities recover and overcome conflict-induced challenges, pain, and losses. In 2023, the Red Cross provided food assistance to 2.7 million people, income support to 3.2 million people, and clean water to 36.28 million people. It supported over 730 hospitals, visited and monitored 22,624 detainees, traced 15,104 missing people, and reunited 816 people with their families. The Red Cross is achieving its mission. [7]

3. Promote and strengthen humanitarian law and principles

The Red Cross aims to fulfill its role as the guardian of IHL. It promotes humanitarian values through awareness-raising and advocacy efforts. The organization engages with governments and non-state actors to encourage the integration of humanitarian principles into policy and practice. In Jan 2025, the ICRC partnered with Brazil, China, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and South Africa to launch a global initiative to reinvigorate political commitment to IHL. This program seeks to prevent violations of IHL, protect hospitals and civilian infrastructure, adapt IHL for the future, and link IHL to peace. [8]

4. Collaborate with societies to advance humanitarian efforts

The Red Cross nurtures constructive collaborations to advance humanitarian efforts globally. The organization works with its partners within the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement to protect and assist victims beyond its jurisdiction. For example, in 2024, the Red Cross collaborated with the Egyptian and the Palestinian Red Crescent societies to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The partners reiterated their commitment to protect civilians and infrastructure under IHL and ensure medical facilities remain sanctuaries to preserve human life. Egypt controls a crucial entry point into Gaza, while Palestinian authorities oversee security within Gaza. [9]

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Red Cross’s Mandate

The ICRC states, “Our mandate under the Geneva Conventions is to provide humanitarian assistance to people affected by armed conflict and other violence and promote the laws that protect victims of war.” [10]

The Red Cross played a significant and crucial role in the birth of the Geneva Convention. Its first meeting in Feb 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland, had five members, including Henry Dunant – the author of “A Souvenir of Solferino.” Dunant’s book urged countries to improve care for wounded soldiers in wartime. This idea evolved, becoming the Geneva Convention.

In Aug 1864, the Red Cross persuaded governments to adopt the first Geneva Convention, obliging armies to care for the wounded soldiers from both sides. It revised three Geneva Conventions and added a fourth Convention in 1949. Then, it adopted two Protocols in 1977. [11]

The Red Cross’s work is based on international humanitarian law (IHL). IHL is defined in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols, plus the Movement’s Statutes and the resolutions of the International Conferences of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The Original Convention recognized ambulances, military hospitals, and the personnel serving with them as neutral and protected during conflict. It also specified the Red Cross symbol as a protective emblem for medical personnel, equipment, and facilities.

How does the Geneva Conventions define the Red Cross’s mandate?

• Convention I: The Red Cross is mandated to protect wounded and sick soldiers and medical personnel who are not engaged in hostility against a party. It prohibits torture and assaults on personal dignity, ensuring soldiers are treated humanely without discrimination.
• Convention II: This agreement extended the Red Cross’s mandate (outlined in Convention I) to shipwrecked soldiers and other naval forces. For example, warring parties should recognize hospital ships with the Red Cross symbol as neutral and protected. [12]
• Convention III: The Red Cross relies on this Convention to define prisoners of war (POWs) and urge warring factions to treat POWs humanely and provide adequate housing and food to POWs. Its 143 Articles offer specific rules that define the Red Cross’s mandate. For example, Article 118 requires POWs to be released and returned to their home countries after active hostilities end. The Red Cross helps facilitate the release and transfer of detainees, prisoners, and hostages in conflict zones globally.
• Convention IV: The Red Cross taps on this Convention to protect civilians in conflict zones and occupied territories. Its 159 Articles define the Red Cross’s role in different scenarios. For example, Articles 24 and 25 provide for the care of orphaned or separated children and give the ICRC the mandate to trace and assist with family reunifications. In 2023, the Red Cross reunited 727 children with their families. [13]

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Red Cross’s Fundamental Principles

Red Cross’s fundamental principles are humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality. These seven principles unite the ICRC, the IFRC, and national societies, creating an ethical, operational, and institutional framework that guides and defines the Movement’s work. [14]

How does the Red Cross implement its seven fundamental principles?

• Humanity: The Red Cross was founded to prevent and alleviate human suffering and assist armed conflict victims. Its purpose is to protect human life, health, and dignity. Humanity is the Red Cross’s core fundamental principle. In 2024, the organization celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. These treaties have safeguarded humanity in the face of war since 1949. [15]
• Impartiality: The Red Cross protects and assists everyone regardless of race, religious beliefs, nationality, class, or political opinions. Impartiality allows the organization to reach and help more people in conflict zones. For example, Israel and Hamas trust the Red Cross because it is an impartial intermediary. This reputation has helped the organization negotiate hostage releases and ceasefire agreements between Israel and Hamas. [16]
• Neutrality: The Red Cross doesn’t take sides in hostilities or engage in political, religious, racial, or ideological controversies. This fundamental principle helps maintain confidence and trust in the organization. In Dec 2023, the Red Cross published its 2024-2027 Institutional Strategy. The new strategy reasserts the ICRC’s neutrality as an action-enabling principle and underlines the organization’s unique role as a neutral intermediary. [17]
• Independence: The ICRC is an independent organization focused on alleviating suffering. Although the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies adhere to their countries’ laws and serve their governments’ humanitarian needs, they must maintain their autonomy to align with ICRC’s principles. Many countries offer funding to manipulate humanitarian organizations, undermining their independence. The Red Cross overcomes this challenge by ensuring all contributions don’t come with strings or tit-for-tat favors. [18]
• Voluntary service: The Red Cross is a voluntary organization focused to providing relief. It offers humanitarian assistance to help people, not for profit. As of Dec 2024, volunteers represented 90% of the Red Cross workforce. Anyone can join their local or national society to make a difference in people’s lives. For example, the Illinois Red Cross’s 5,000 volunteers responded to over 1,600 disasters in 2023. The American Red Cross has around 275,000 volunteers nationwide. [19]
• Unity: The ICRC ensures there’s only one Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in any country. Each entity must serve all people and fulfill humanitarian work in its territory. The IFRC supports Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, with 14 million people in 192 countries. All are united by one mission and the Movement’s fundamental principles. The ICRC and the IFRC reach 160 million people yearly through local Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. [20]
• Universality: The ICRC strives to create a global movement where all National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have equal status, share equal responsibilities and duties, and help each other. The network implements this principle by establishing comprehensive, unified standards for protection organization-wide. In Oct 2024, the Council representatives of 191 National Red Cross, Red Crescent Societies, the IFRC and the ICRC, met to reaffirm the Movement’s mission and adopt critical resolutions. The meeting strengthened unity and universality, enhancing coordination in humanitarian efforts globally. [21]

References

1. The ICRC (2024, Jun 10). How we work with National Societies. ICRC.org
2. The ICRC (2024, Jul 22). ICRC Annual Report 2023. ICRC.org
3. The ICRC (2024, Feb 12). The ICRC appeals for 2.1 billion Swiss francs for its operations in 2024. ICRC.org
4. The ICRC. Our mandate and mission. ICRC.org
5. Donmez, B. (2025, Jan 27). Red Cross urges parties to protect vital facilities in Sudan. AA.com
6. The ICRC (2025, Jan 26). Israel and the Occupied Territories: ICRC completes the second phase of release operations, reuniting more families. ReliefWeb
7. The ICRC (2024, Jul 22). ICRC Annual Report 2023. ICRC.org
8. The ICRC (2025, Jan 1). Every human life deserves safety and dignity: A call to make international humanitarian law a political priority. ICRC.org
9. The ICRC (2024, Dec 2). ICRC: Humanitarian aid remains an urgent necessity to alleviate the tide of suffering in Gaza. ICRC.org
10. The ICRC. Our mandate and mission. ICRC.org
11. The ICRC (2021, Oct 29). History of the ICRC. ICRC.org
12. Cornell Law (2022, Apr 14). Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols: Overview and history. Cornell.edu
13. British Red Cross (2024, Nov 10). Voices of Strength and Pain. RedCross.org
14. The ICRC. The seven Fundamental Principles. ICRC.org
15. The ICRC (2024, Dec 16). ICRC in 2024: Upholding humanity in conflict. ICRC.org
16. Donmez, B. (2025, Jan 19). International Committee of the Red Cross says Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal marks “new beginning.” AA
17. The ICRC (2023, Dec 19). ICRC launches 2024-2027 institutional strategy. ICRC.org
18. Hoagland, N. (2024, April 24). Practice versus perception: A discussion of the humanitarian principle of independence in the context of migration. IRRC
19. Illinois Red Cross (2024, Dec 30). Resolve to make a difference in 2025 by becoming a Red Cross volunteer. RedCross.org
20. American Red Cross (2023, Oct 13). How Do the Global Red Cross and Red Crescent Humanitarian Network Work? RedCross.org
21. The ICRC (2024, Oct 29). International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement Joint Statement on the 2024 Council of Delegates Outcomes. ICRC.org
22. Feature Image by Ian Hutchinson