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Delayed Response?
Lessons from IFRC Horn of Africa Appeals 2008–2010
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
Report by:
Nisar Majid
Food Security Specialist
Independent Consultant
www.ifrc.org
Saving lives, changing minds.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society’s work is guided by
Strategy 2020 which puts forward three strategic aims:
1. Save lives, protect livelihoods, and strengthen recovery from disaster and crises.
2. Enable healthy and safe living.
3. Promote social inclusion and a culture of non-violence and peace.
© International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva, 2011.
Copies of all or part of this study may be made for noncommercial use, providing the source is acknowledged The IFRC would appreciate receiving
details of its use. Requests for commercial reproduction should be directed to the IFRC at secretariat@ifrc.org@ifrc.org.
The opinions and recommendations expressed in this study do not necessarily represent the official policy of the IFRC or of individual National
Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies. The designations and maps used do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the International
Federation or National Societies concerning the legal status of a territory or of its authorities. All photos used in this study are copyright of the IFRC
unless otherwise indicated.
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Web site: http://www.ifrc.org
Contents
Foreword 5
Introduction 7
Key findings 7
Early warning … delayed response 7
Well organised at point of distribution 8
Capacity and institutional learning 8
Coordination confusion 8
What does the RCRC stand for and do? 9
Strategic clarity 9
Responding to needs and relevance to branch 9
Innovation 10
Emerging issues and recommendations 11
Overarching recommendation 11
The role of food aid (or timeliness and scale)? 11
Recommendation 1 11
Large-scale v small-scale appeals? 12
Recommendation 2 12
Vision, Strategy and Organisational Change 12
Recommendation 3 13
Structural issues 13
Recommendation 4 13
Background to the region 14
Conditions in 2008 15
Analysis of appeals 16
Summary of Intervention 16
Analysis of Appeal 16
Summary of Intervention 17
Analysis of the Assessment and the Appeal 18
Coordination 19
Ethiopia Red Cross 19
The Moyale Intervention 20
Summary of Seed Distribution 21
Analysis of Intervention 21
Summary of Intervention (East Hararghe) 22
Analysis of Appeal 23
Annex 1 List of interviewees 25
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Project report Early Warning – Delayed Response? Lessons from IFRC Horn of Africa Appeals 2008–2010
Foreword
Between 2008 and 2010, the IFRC launched four international appeals
to respond to drought and food insecurity in the Horn of Africa. The
results were decidedly mixed. In some cases, Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies did manage to use these Appeals to good effect,
and relevant and sustainable support was the result. In other cases, the
relief support was slow to mobilise, and was delivered too late to be of
relevant assistance. For the most part the Appeals themselves failed
to generate significant donor support, and the largest of the Appeals
was only 9% funded.
The lessons are important because we will be faced with these same
challenges again. The first lesson, which is by no means new but under-
lies the consequent recommendations, is that droughts are natural and
recurring in the Horn of Africa, and therefore sudden, large scale relief
operations are often less relevant than addressing the long term chal-
lenge of supporting communities to become more resilient to the cycles
of drought. The challenge for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
is therefore to focus on the capacity building of Branches and com-
munities in risk reduction relative to drought. Secondly, the review
acknowledges the advances that the wider humanitarian sector (and
some National Societies) have made in the use of early warning sys-
tems and analysing food security trends. The humanitarian response in
the region has become more sophisticated, and so must the Red Cross/
Red Crescent Societies, if their interventions are to remain relevant.
Which leads to a third lesson, that protecting livelihoods should be a
core principle of responding to drought, and food aid is often not the
best option to achieve that end. Therefore more attention needs to
be given to innovating with cash responses, protecting livestock and
addressing health as well as food security threats. A final challenge
that remains prominent for all humanitarian actors operating in the
Horn of Africa is to advocate for increased investment in community
resilience work, even when the rainfall is good, as this can provide
opportunities to engage in long term solutions.
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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Chapter number Foreword
Alexander Matheou
Regional Representative for East Africa
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1
Introduction
The scope of this review is broad given the number of issues, actors,
institutional layers and different contexts within the Movement (dif-
ferent branches, NS’s, PNS’s, IFRC and ICRC). As such, and in order to
maximise the potential readership and impact of the report it has been
kept short and with the purpose of attempting to bring out emerging
issues of relevance to the wider Movement. It is structured into 4 sections:
Key Findings; Emerging Issues and Recommendations; Background to
the Region; Analysis of Appeals.
Key findings
Early warning … delayed response
In spite of good early warning signals at the Branch level, the RCRC
emergency responses to periods of community stress are typically
delayed, taking many months (4-6 or more) from first signals, assess-
ments, to the actual response. These delays are not all particular to
the RCRC (many are systemic, reflecting the humanitarian system in
general and the nature of slow onset crises)2. However, this may mean
that the crisis itself has passed by the time of the response or, if the
crisis has not passed an opportunity to intervene much earlier has
been missed. The reasons for these delays vary but include:
1 These were the Ethiopia International Appeal May 2008; the Horn of Africa Appeal December
2008; the Kenya Drought Appeal September 2009; the Ethiopia International Appeal February
2010.
2 For an interesting analysis of these systemic problems as applicable to the region, see HPG
Briefing Note, May 2006, ‘Saving lives through livelihoods: critical gaps in the response to the
drought in the Greater Horn of Africa’ at http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/1381.
pdf;
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1 Introduction
Coordination confusion
The period under review was associated with IFRC restructuring and its
new vision (the 2020 strategy), the development of an unusual regional
Appeal and the creation of an office for the coordination of the Horn of
Africa operation, in Addis Ababa. Time and other pressures to pursue
this vision led to a lack of consultation and buy-in within the move-
ment that ultimately led to considerable tension and confusion within
the IFRC, and in terms of its relations with NS’s and PNS’s. This was
widely commented upon and is detrimental to the IFRC’s potential
role. While it is recognised that this period of restructuring is largely
over and coordination and relations are already much improved, there
remain concerns over the appropriate technical, logistical, coordination
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and donor relations capacity at the regional level (i.e. Nairobi), and in
support of the Ethiopia Red Cross.
Strategic clarity
At the strategic level the Somalia Red Crescent (SRCS) and the Tigray
branch of the Ethiopia Red Cross (ERCS) stand out as having clear
strategic approaches, recognising their own capacity limitations and
concentrating on building their own capacity. This kind of direction
obliges PNS’s and IFRC support NS or Branch approaches and priorities.
Interestingly, neither used food aid as part of their strategies within
the review period.
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1 Introduction
Coordination between the ERCS, Austrian and Finnish PNS’s and the
IFRC was relatively good.
Innovation
The Kenya Red Cross (KRCS) was innovative in identifying the potential
of El Nino rain predictions to implement a timely and highly effective
seed distribution in Ukambani areas that were severely affected by a
drought. It is also currently using predictions of poor La Nina rains to
survey borehole capacity in advance of a possible drought.
The KRCS and the ICRC have developed a strategic partnership based
around ICRC’s tracking system (identifying different interventions for
different phases in the crisis cycle). The IFRC in Nairobi is also piloting
disaster preparedness activities with Kenya Red Cross with the sup-
port of ECHO. These initiatives are part of the KRCS’s evolution from
its strong capacity in logistics and emergency relief towards a more
diversified institutional capacity.
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Overarching recommendation
The RCRC (NS’s, PNS’s and IFRC) in the Horn of Africa should focus
its activities around a Community Risk Management Approach based
on integrating its technical support areas. This should be done while
strengthening long-term relationships between the various parts of
the movement and prioritising branch development where possible.
Recommendation 1
The RCRC in the region should develop regional and country specific
guidance on food security policy and practice (including food aid).
This guidance should link to RCRC global food security thinking in
Geneva.2 Guidance could include discussion of the advantages and
disadvantages of food aid, criteria for choosing appropriate responses,
piloting of other options (e.g. cash), integration with other sectors e.g.
nutrition, water and health.
1 See Kenyan Sunday Standard, 3rd October 2010, and KRCS’s Press Release in Response, 4th
October, 2010, for an example of the complications of food aid. This review takes no position
on this particular issue but merely highlights it as an example of the sensitivities and risks
of being involved in food aid in the region.
2 A global food security strategy document is being prepared.
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2 Emerging issues and recommendations
nn A perception that such appeals have been driven from the top
Recommendation 2
Develop and expand upon smaller-scale community based approaches
to Disaster Management and Disaster Risk Reduction that exist in the
region and document experience.
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Recommendation 3
The IFRC in the region should develop a discussion document and
training/awareness raising materials to bring out policy and program-
matic issues around operating within the chronic and acute context
in the Horn of Africa for the RCRC. Concepts and linkages between
nutrition, food security, livelihoods, health and sanitation, as well as
between relief and development could be brought out. Exploring a stra-
tegic partnership with ICRC in the region and the Kenya Red Cross may
accelerate this process.
Structural issues
The ending of the newly created HoA operational coordination office
and the arrival of new staff in the regional office signal the start of the
new structures in the region and new relationships that are forming.
There is a clear demand for a strong coordination and technical sup-
port role for the IFRC office in the region. Nairobi is a key hub for both
the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regions, in terms of logistical,
technical, coordination and resource mobilisation issues.
Recommendation 4
The RCRC in the region should assess these capacity requirements and
coordination mechanisms, including allocating adequate support to
the Ethiopia Red Cross.
3 See Haan, Majid and Darcy, 2006, for an analysis of Ethiopian food security and livelihood
complexity and implications for assessments and food aid interventions, at http://www.odi.
org.uk/resources/download/602.pdf;
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Background to the region
1 See livelihood baselines and outputs of the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit of
Somalia, the Livelihoods Integration Unit in Ethiopia and FEWSNET Regional and Country
offices for examples; http://www.dppc.gov.et/Livelihoods/Livelihoods_Integration_Unit.htm;
http://www.fsnau.org/products/baseline-reports; http://www.fsnau.org/; http://www.fews.
net/Pages/livelihoods.aspx?loc=6&l=en;
2 Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit
3 Arid lands Resource Management Project
4 Livelihoods Integration Unit
5 See Haan, Majid and Darcy 2006 again.
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Conditions in 2008
2008 onwards arguably provided a more complex environment than
usual with a combination of internal and external factors from inter-
national food and fuel price rises (2007-2008; stabilising by mid to late
2008), soon followed by the global financial crisis (September 2008
onwards); post-election violence in Kenya (December 2007); election
preparations in Ethiopia (May 2010) and severe conflict and displace-
ment around Mogadishu, Somalia (2007 onwards). Disruptions to mar-
kets and trade were high in general though there were very different
factors in different parts of the region.6 Food aid pipeline problems
were also occurring in 2008 and 2009 due to production shortfalls in
key areas e.g. Rift Valley in Kenya. This was compounded by poor rains
and disease outbreaks in many areas. These conditions had followed
a severe and widespread regional drought in 2006.7
The four Appeals analysed for the review covered the period 2008-
2010. The Ethiopia Food Insecurity Appeal (Wolaita) of May 2008 was
generated by the Ethiopia Red Cross and the IFRC in Nairobi. It was
a modest response to a clear crisis. The Horn of Africa Appeal was
particularly unusual for the region in terms of its scale and the resul-
tant processes and structures that were mobilised (i.e. the FACT team
and the HoA8 operational coordination office in Addis Ababa). It was
very poorly funded. The HoA Appeal was also significant for affect-
ing country specific resource mobilisation processes. For example, the
Kenya Red Cross was initially part of the HoA Appeal, then had a large
and poorly funded National Appeal in early 2009, followed by a more
modest International Drought Appeal in September 2009. Finally, there
was an Ethiopia specific Severe Food Shortage International Appeal in
February 2010, which was again significant in scale and poorly funded.
The purpose of the review was therefore to try and learn lessons from
this set of unusual internal and external factors within the region.
6 See Food Security & Complex Livelihoods in the Horn, East and Central Africa, June 2008, at
www.ebpdn.org/download/download.php?table=resources&id=2118;
7 See HPG Briefing Note, May 2006, ‘Saving lives through livelihoods: critical gaps in the
response to the drought in the Greater Horn of Africa’ at http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/
download/1381.pdf;
8 Horn of Africa
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Analysis of appeals
Ethiopia Appeal
(May 2008; Euros 1.2m; 35% funded through Appeal, 65% funded
through ECHO in-country; increased to Euro 5m, 81% funded, 75,000
beneficiaries).
Summary of Intervention
An international appeal was launched in May 2008 for the Ethiopia
Red Cross to support 40,000 beneficiaries for four months in Wolaita
zone, Ethiopia. This following an assessment by the ERCS and the IFRC
zonal office in Nairobi. Funds were raised primarily by the Finnish
and Austrian PNS’s, as well as from ECHO in-country and through the
IFRC. Food relief distributions began in late June. Water rehabilitation
and seed distributions were also carried out as well as targeted animal
re-stocking in 2009.
Analysis of Appeal
First signals of problems in Wolaita occurred in December 2007 – the
branch sent pictures of malnourished children and a letter to the ERCS
head office in Addis Ababa. Internal ERCS assessments were mobilised
and the zone DM office was called upon and arrived in April 2008. The
food security and nutrition conditions were clearly extremely serious
with a nutrition survey by GOAL confirming this.1 FEWSNET confirmed
the exceptional situation. The Appeal document itself provided detailed
local specific explanations of the nature of the problem and justifica-
tions for a range of responses. The time between the April assessment,
the May Appeal and the late June response was good in comparison
to other examples seen (2-3 months; although this was 6 months after
the branch first reported the situation). The initial response to the
Appeal was limited and the Finnish and Austrian PNS’s found addi-
tional resources through ECHO funds in addition to their own. There
was concern within some ECHO quarters of different PNS’s requesting
resources for the same problem. Coordination through the IFRC was
considered relatively good.
1 12.1% GAM, 2.1% SAM, under-5 mortality of 2.24%, in March/April 2008, in Damot Gale
woreda.
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It is interesting to note that the two woredas targeted are not emer-
gency prone areas and do not usually receive either emergency or
safety net support, therefore food aid has not become ‘institution-
alised’ in these areas. They are woredas of high population density,
with likely chronic food insecurity problems but are not drought prone
(recurrent emergency prone areas are in the lowlands within the zone2).
Supporting this hypothesis is the fact that recovery has been good,
with good rains since then and, for example, all beneficiaries that
had received sheep still had them and were looking to convert them
to milking cows3. The crucial failure of the sweet potato crop was
addressed through distribution of cuttings and haricot beans were also
distributed. They appear to have been highly appropriate and valued.
The branch has significantly increased its membership and profile as a
result, now counting approximately 50% of the population of the zone
as members. This proportion is much higher in the districts where this
intervention has taken place.
Summary of Intervention
The large scale of the Appeal was targeted at supporting 2.2m ben-
eficiaries over 5 years. It signified the activation of the 2020 strategy
of senior management in Geneva and their interest to scale up and
reach out to more beneficiaries. The Appeal was preceded by a large,
multi-disciplinary FACT team which was in the region from October
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4 Analysis of appeals
The Kenya Red Cross and Somali Red Crescent received little money
through the appeal. The KRCS had already prepared an appeal prior
to the Horn of Africa appeal, which was then subsumed within that
Appeal. Djibouti received some funds through the Appeal for a food-
for-work programme with WFP. The HoA assessment and appeal also
catalysed a bilateral initiative from the British Red Cross, to support a
cash-loan recovery programme.
6 Team composition changed during this time, with many members not continuing for the full
period.
7 In order to cover as many sites as possible within the timeframe, the consultant and ERC
staff agreed to interview staff in Addis Ababa and Harar that had been involved in the
intervention. The long distance (time factor), Ramadan period and uncertainty of finding
beneficiaries contributed to this decision.
8 AWD is used instead of cholera in Ethiopia.
9 For example, in mid-2007, FEWSNET was both reporting on the impact of drought, floods,
Rift Valley Fever (RVF) and conflict (in Somalia) in 2005 and 2006, where 10m people were
reported to have been affected, and at the same time was already predicting worsening
humanitarian conditions in late 2007/early 2008, as a result of a combination of factors,
including rising prices, drought, conflict and disease.
10 US$500m of this came from the Saudi government.
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Coordination
Creating a new operational structure in Addis Ababa was viewed prob-
lematically by virtually all interviewees. While such a structure may
have been considered necessary to support a very large-scale interven-
tion, lines of communication between Geneva, Addis Ababa, Nairobi
and later Johannesburg were unclear, contributing to less than con-
structive relations within the IFRC and poor perceptions by the NS’s
and PNS’s. The Horn of Africa office was left in a very difficult posi-
tion, trying to reclaim advanced funds as well as credibility, following
the rushed start through the initial FACT team and the poor resource
mobilisation that resulted.
11 The author of this report was brought in to the region by a major British NGO in June 2008
in order to conduct an analysis of the situation at the time. The problem was identified as a
complex livelihood crisis with many contributory factors and areas of uncertainty, including
domestic drivers of price inflation, regional trade disruptions, food aid supply problems,
unreliable figures, unclear timing of acute crisis.
12 See Haan, Majid and Darcy, 2006, for an analysis of Ethiopian food security and livelihood
complexity and implications for assessments and food aid interventions,at http://www.odi.
org.uk/resources/download/602.pdf;
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4 Analysis of appeals
was an overlapping interest between the IFRC (Geneva), the ERCS and
the GoE that all contributed towards an interest in scaling up.
The actual distributions took place during the rainy season. The time
of greatest hardship for pastoralists is usually the end of the dry sea-
son and beginning of the wet season. Some trucks were reported to
have become stuck due to muddy roads. These difficulties were recog-
nised by the community who was reported to have asked ERCS staff
why cash was not brought in as it is easier to transport. Distributions
themselves were well organised although ERCS staff generally point out
that targeting and distributing is more difficult in pastoral areas than
agricultural areas due to the strength and salience of the clan system
for managing resource distributions. PHAST and AWD interventions
took place in Moyale urban areas (KRCS frequently requests support
of ERCS in terms of coordination in Moyale, as the town is divided
between Kenya and Ethiopia).
The ERCS had to manage very tense and difficult relations with the
Oromiya side (particularly the woreda administration) as they were
perceived to be biased towards Somalis. Following the relief distribu-
tions, water rehabilitation was planned for both communities. In the
end this was abandoned as the Somali officials claimed that all of the
resources were for their area. Communities in both areas were sup-
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Analysis of Intervention
Drought conditions in the Ukambani areas were very severe in 2008
and 2009. Cattle losses were high and a WFP EMOP had started in June
2009, following early interventions supported by the British Red Cross.
Incomes had been stretched and the seed intervention was developed
due to the expected good El Nino rains. The seed intervention was
a highly effective, pro-active, response to aid recovery in light of an
13 The initial appeal was 6% funded within 2 months. The amount sought appears to have been
revised downwards with CHF 2,047,020 received by August 2010 and 100% coverage reported
– this figure is used to provide the 25% estimated coverage.
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4 Analysis of appeals
exceptional rainy season. The hybrid seeds were expensive in the mar-
ket and beyond the means of most farmers. Farmers were appreciative
of the seeds but did plant their own traditional varieties as well as the
hybrids. Yields of farmers varied greatly in the three sites visited from
3 to 10 bags. Lack of draught power meant that land preparation was
compromised which in turn affected productivity. Yields may have
been better in other districts. Overall maize production in the wider
area was exceptional suggesting that the good rains and the wide-
spread seed distributions contributed to good harvests.
14 Approximately 50% of funding was obtained from ECHO within the region, therefore not
directly through the Appeal process.
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Analysis of Appeal
The visit of the regional food security advisor followed GoE/ERC target-
ing procedures to identify Shashamene and Seraro as the priority areas.
The ERC branch in Shashemane was keen to know why malnutrition
was appearing when it had not been seen there before. Discussions
with government staff identified that water was the most important
issue and was a chronic problem. People normally have to buy water
which accounts for 70% of expenditure. When pushed to discuss the
cost-benefit of using funds for water or food, government staff quickly
realised that the greater value was in water interventions. However,
the position of food aid in Ethiopia means that it was agreed that 30%
of a potential budget should go towards food aid. Water interventions
discussed included subsidising water trucking and using food to free up
income for water. Food relief would have been short-term (2-3 months).
Recovery interventions could include water infrastructure expansion.
Soft pledges of approximately $3m were already available according
to the regional food security advisor who felt confident that up to $5m
could be obtained.
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4 Analysis of appeals
hunger at the time. The Harare office has faced much criticism from
local communities and government officials, none of its own making,
for both failing to deliver on their promises and thereby not allowing
alternatives (e.g. resources, organisations) from being approached at
the time.
From the time of the assessment in late 2009 to the time of actual
distribution was approximately 8 months.
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Geneva
Josse Gillijns Head of Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Department IFRC
Ina Schonberg Senior Officer, Livelihoods, Nutrition & Food Security IFRC
Kenya
Nan Buzard Senior Director, International Response and Programs American Red Cross
Martin Kiilu (Hassler) Volunteer and Relief Coordinator, Machakos Kenya Red Cross
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Annex 1 List of interviewees
Yuji Matsubara Deputy Director, Development Cooperation Division, International Japanese Red Cross
Department, Operations Sector
Ethiopia
Sudi Alemu Acting Branch Secretary, Somali Regional Branch (Project Coordinator, Ethiopia Red Cross
Moyale)
Bayu Tadesse Programme Head, Oromiya Regional Office (Field Operation Coordinator, Ethiopia Red Cross
Wolaita)
Beshe Beneburu Branch Secretary, Harar Office, East Hararghe Ethiopia Red Cross
Haile Birhane Relief Coordinator, East Hararghe (Health and Sanitation Officer, Moyale) Ethiopia Red Cross
Seifu Worku Branch Secretary, Soddo Branch, Wolaita Ethiopia Red Cross
Niguse Abiye Tefera, Branch Secretary, North Shoa Ethiopia Red Cross
Beneficiary communities visited in Damot Pulassa, Damot Gale, Fedis and Mehal Meda.
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Telephone Interviews
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The Fundamental Principles of the International
Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
Humanity / The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Independence / The Movement is independent. The
Movement, born of a desire to bring assistance without dis- National Societies, while auxiliaries in the humanitarian
crimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavours, services of their governments and subject to the laws
in its international and national capacity, to prevent and alle- of their respective countries, must always maintain their
viate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in
is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the hu- accordance with the principles of the Movement.
man being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship,
Voluntary service / It is a voluntary relief movement not
cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.
prompted in any manner by desire for gain.
Impartiality / It makes no discrimination as to nation-
ality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It Unity / There can be only one Red Cross or Red Cres-
endeavours to relieve the suffering of individuals, being cent Society in any one country. It must be open to all.
guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its ter-
most urgent cases of distress. ritory.
Neutrality / In order to enjoy the confidence of all, the Universality / The International Red Cross and Red
Movement may not take sides in hostilities or engage at Crescent Movement, in which all societies have equal
any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or status and share equal responsibilities and duties in help-
ideological nature. ing each other, is worldwide.
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds.