The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

2. The Red Cross
 Young Swiss businessman, Jean Henry Dunant was appalled by the condition of the wounded soldiers
he happened to see in the battle field of Solferino , Italy in 1859 during the Franco - Austrian war.
 He arranged relief services with the help of the local community immediately.
 He wrote the book 'Memory of Solferino' suggesting that a neutral organization be established to aid
the wounded soldiers in times of war. Just a year after the release of this book, an international
conference was convened in Geneva to consider the suggestions of Henry Dunant and thus the Red
Cross Movement was born in 1863.
 He called for the creation of national relief societies to assist those wounded in war and pointed the
way to the future Geneva Conventions.
 The Red Cross was born in 1863 when five Geneva men,including Dunant,set up the International
Committee for Relief to the Wounded , later to become the International Committee of the Red
Cross.
 Its emblem was a red cross on a white background : the inverse of the Swiss flag.
 The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a global humanitarian network of 80
million people that helps those facing disaster conflict and health and social problems.
 It consists of the International Committee of the Red Cross,the International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

3. International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement
ICRC IFRC
National Red
Cross and Red
Crescent
Societies

4. The Movement
 The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the
world's largest humanitarian network. The Movement is neutral
and impartial, and provides protection and assistance to people
affected by disasters and conflicts.
 The Movement is made up of nearly 100 million members,
volunteers and supporters in 192 National Societies
 As partners, the different members of the Movement support
communities in becoming stronger and safer through a variety of
development projects and humanitarian activities. The
Movement also works in cooperation with governments, donors
and other aid organizations to assist vulnerable people around
the world.
 The ICRC, the Federation and the National Societies are
independent bodies. Each has its own individual status and
exercises no authority over the others.

5. THE 7 FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
 Humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence,
voluntary service, unity and universality: these seven
Fundamental Principles provide an ethical, operational and
institutional framework to the work of the Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement. They are at the core of its
approach to helping people in need during armed conflict,
natural disasters and other emergencies.
 These principles unite the components of the Movement –
the ICRC, the National Societies and the International
Federation – and are key to its distinct identity. Adherence
to these principles ensures the humanitarian nature of the
Movement's work and brings consistency to the broad
range of activities it undertakes around the world.

6. ICRC
 The ICRC is based on the Geneva Conventions of
1949,their Additional Protocols ,its Statutes and those
of the International Conferences of the Red Cross and
Red Crescent.
 It was on the ICRC’s initiative that states adopted the
original Geneva Convention of 1864.
 It is an independent ,neutral organization ensuring
humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of
armed conflict and other situations of violence.

7. IFRC
 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies was
founded in 1919 in Paris in the aftermath of World War I.The objective was to
improve the health of people in countries that had suffered greatly during the
four years of war.
 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is
the world's largest humanitarian organization, providing assistance without
discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political
opinions.
 Founded in 1919, the IFRC comprises 192 member Red Cross and Red Crescent
National Societies, a secretariat in Geneva and more than 60 delegations
strategically located to support activities around the world. There are more
societies in formation. The Red Crescent is used in place of the Red Cross in
many Islamic countries.
 The IFRC vision: To inspire, encourage, facilitate and promote at all times all
forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies, with a view to
preventing and alleviating human suffering, and thereby contributing to the
maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.

8. Role of IFRC
 The IFRC carries out relief operations to assist victims of disasters, and combines this
with development work to strengthen the capacities of its member National Societies.
 The IFRC's work focuses on four core areas: promoting humanitarian values, disaster
response, disaster preparedness, and health and community care.
 The unique network of National Societies - which cover almost every country in the
world - is the IFRC's principal strength.
 Cooperation between National Societies gives the IFRC greater potential to develop
capacities and assist those most in need.
 At a local level, the network enables the IFRC to reach individual communities.
 The role of the secretariat in Geneva is to coordinate and mobilize relief assistance for
international emergencies, promote cooperation between National Societies and
represent these National Societies in the international field.
 The role of the field delegations is to assist and advise National Societies with relief
operations and development programmes, and encourage regional cooperation.

9. The National Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies.
 One of the primary roles of any Red Cross or Red Crescent National Society, as
auxiliary to the authorities, is to provide first-line disaster response services.
National Societies have a role (often legally defined) assigned by their
governments in disaster response, which varies from country to country. It may
involve search and rescue operations, evacuating the injured or people
endangered by the disaster, managing shelters, restoring family links, running
ambulance services or retrieving and evacuating dead bodies.
 In most National Societies, volunteers are trained in first aid, so that they can
bring life-saving assistance to people injured in a disaster. They are also trained
to assess damage and the emergency needs of the population, to identify those
in need of assistance and to organize relief distributions. They may also provide
health care and psychological support.
 In about 80 percent of cases, National Societies respond to a disaster at the
local or national level, without the need for regional or international support.
However, whatever the size and level, the National Societies’ response is
governed by the same principles and policies.

10. Contd.
 Internationally, National Societies, each within the limits of its resources give
assistance for victims of natural disasters and other emergencies. Such
assistance, in the form of services and personnel, of material, financial and
moral support is given through the National Society of the country concerned
by the disaster and the International Federation.
 At community level, groups of volunteers are trained to work together
in Community Disaster Response Teams bringing assistance to people in
their communities affected by disasters.
 National Disaster Response Teams are made up of National Society staff
and volunteers, often from different branches, trained and working
alongside Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers at community level to bring
assistance to people affected by disaster.
 They are made up of generalists and specialists in health, logistics, relief or
water and sanitation. They can be mobilized at short notice and are trained to
work as a team and support the local Red Cross or Red Crescent branch in its
response to the disaster.

11. The Indian Red Cross Society
 The Indian Red Cross is a voluntary humanitarian organization having a
network of over 1100 branches throughout the country, providing relief in times
of disasters/emergencies and promotes health & care of the vulnerable people
and communities.
 It is a leading member of the largest independent humanitarian organization
in the world, the International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement.
 The Mission of the Indian Red Cross is to inspire, encourage and initiate at all
times all forms of humanitarian activities so that human suffering can be
minimized and even prevented and thus contribute to creating more congenial
climate for peace.

12. Programmes and Activities
 The Indian Red Cross's programmes are grouped into
four main core areas:
 Promoting humanitarian principles and values;
 Disaster response;
 Disaster preparedness; and
 Health and Care in the Community.

13. Indian Red Cross Society, Siliguri,
Sub Divisional Branch
 Indian Red Cross Society, Siliguri, Sub Divisional
Branch acts under the guidance of the West Bengal
State Body which is presided over by the Honorable
Governor of West Bengal and in the District level, by
the District Committee which is presided over by the
District Magistrate.
 The SDO, Siliguri acts as an ex-officio Chairman of the
Branch.


14. Activities
 The activities of Siliguri Branch of Indian Red Cross Societies are based on the
Humanitarian values prompted by Red Cross. Its public utility services
including the following.
 Day & Night Ambulance Service.
 Oxygen facility.
 Dead body Carrying Van.
 First Aid Services on request.
 First Aid training to junior, school and professional level.
 Health Care Center
 Immunization with all sorts of Vaccines.
 Anti Rabies Vaccines.
 Cardiac care (ECG) unit.
 Disaster relief activities.
 Indian Red Cross Society, Siliguri branch is one of the members of the Disaster
Management Team of the Sub Division Administration.

15. Contd.
 Hospital Service.
 Indian Red Cross Society, Siliguri Branch runs the May-I-help- you center called Rogi
Sahayata Kendra both in Siliguir District Hospital and the North Bengal Medical College
& Hospital which provides information to the patients and their relatives for the speedy
reach to the departments necessary for the patients under PPP format.
 Family Tracing Activities.
 Indian Red Cross Society Siliguri, Branch helps the people trace or send messages to
missing loved ones who have been separated through forced unseen and inevitable
circumstances when all other means of locating them have not yielded result in the
Siliguri Sub Divisional areas.
 Physiotherapy Service Well within the affordable cost.
 Audiology (Pure Tone Audiometry) Service.
 Junior Red Cross.
 Indian Red Cross Society, Siliguri Branch has its younger wings called Junior Red Cross
Unit the aim of which is to be including the spirit of humanitarianism among the young
ones especially the school students. Right now Siliguri Branch has as many as 13 Junior
Red Cross unit in different schools of the Sub Division.

16. St.John Ambulance Association
 St. John Ambulance Association was established in 1912 and St. John
Ambulance Brigade in 1928 in India.
 Its emblems are registered under the Emblems and Names (Prevention
of Improper use) Act XII of 1950 and this organization is also known
vide St. John Ambulance Association(India) Transfer of Funds Act 1956
( Act 21 to 1956).
 St. John Ambulance (India) is a national federation of 36 State/UT
Centres, 12 Railway Centres apart from over 600 Regional
/District/Local Centres.
 Key Activities
 1) First Aid, Home Nursing and allied training.
 2) First Aid posts to provide First Aid services in large public
congregations.
 3) Provide ambulance services to transport casualties to hospitals.