The international Red Cross and Red Crescent network is the largest humanitarian organization in the world with a presence in almost every country.
All Red Cross and Red Crescent activities have one central purpose: to help those who suffer, without discrimination. Our teams deliver aid during conflict, in response to natural or man-made disasters, and amidst other crises.
There are three parts of the global Red Cross network. Each has its own individual status and exercises no authority over the others. These three parts are: Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies (of which the American Red Cross is one), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The American Red Cross works alongside Red Cross and Red Crescent teams around the globe to help save lives. With more than 13 million volunteers, our international work stems from local communities. Together, we serve humanity in alignment with our 7 Fundamental Principles.
In the News: International Services Stories from Around the Globe >>
By reconnecting families separated by crises, rebuilding communities devastated by disasters, and helping children around the world get vaccinated against disease, the Red Cross works every day to provide relief. Here are a few of the global efforts we're involved in at the local level.
Armed conflict, international disasters and migration leave families heartbroken and uncertain about their loved ones’ whereabouts. As the world’s largest humanitarian network, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams help reconnect families separated by international crises.
To begin a search, contact your local Red Cross chapter - the critical link in your community to the vast network of the global Red Cross Red Crescent network.
You can also call our free national helpline at 844-782-9441 or use the International Reconnecting Families Inquiry Form.
International humanitarian law (IHL) is a set of rules that seeks—for humanitarian reasons—to limit the effects of armed conflict. IHL attempts to reconcile the reality of armed conflicts with the protection of lives and preservation of human dignity.
The American Red Cross offers several courses and programs to train policy professionals, government officials, academics, the general public and students on international humanitarian law.
Each year, disasters around the world devastate millions of people. But many communities are missing from the maps that responders use to deliver lifesaving aid.
To help get relief into people’s hands, the American Red Cross and partner organizations have launched the Missing Maps project. Using OpenStreetMap, volunteers have put millions of people from high-risk countries on the map since 2014.
Your help is needed. Support our international work from your community.
Become a digital advocate on social media to support the Red Cross mission. Host an online fundraiser to help people in need.
Gifts of all kinds are accepted with gratitude, but these are the most effective ways you can make a difference right now.
In this one-hour overview of the basics of IHL, participants will learn the four fundamental principles of IHL: Military Necessity, Proportionality, Distinction, and Limiting Unnecessary Suffering. At the conclusion of the class, they will be able to apply these principles to understand the rules governing conflicts around the world.
Please contact your local chapter for information on how to register for a course.
Humanity in War is the most detailed IHL course offered by the American Red Cross. This daylong course covers the basics of IHL and expands upon themes such as enforcement of IHL and the interplay of IHL and International Human Rights Law.
Please contact your local chapter for information on how to register for a course.
IHL and the Red Cross Movement were both born on the battlefield. This three-hour course discusses the beginnings of the Red Cross Movement and the birth of modern IHL. At the conclusion, participants will not only be able to analyze the legality of actions in armed conflicts, they will also understand the role the Red Cross Movement has played in the development of IHL.
Please contact your local chapter for information on how to register for a course.
The IHL Youth Action Campaign (YAC) is an annual program that allows youth to learn about IHL and then pass their knowledge along to their peers by designing their own outreach campaigns that focus on tough real-world issues. Youth participate in teams as IHL advocates, and each year the program explores a different theme. Previous themes have included Healthcare in Danger and the Ethics of Autonomous Weapons.
Raid Cross is a role-playing simulation activity that helps students understand the basic rules of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and recognize that even war has limits. During the simulation, participants play the roles of civilians, soldiers, prisoners of war and humanitarian aid workers. By taking on different roles, participants see conflict situations through various perspectives. Raid Cross can be conducted on school and college campuses and in community centers.
Please contact your local chapter for information on how to register for a course.