ICRC - what is it? Perhaps, when Muscovites mention this abbreviation, one of the most interesting educational institutions of the capital immediately comes to mind. ICRC them. Sholokhov stands for Moscow Cossack Cadet Corps. This is an educational institution in which young men of different ages study. The educational program is very extensive. The pride of the building is a musical and instrumental ensemble and a museum dedicated to the memory of the great Russian writer, singer of the Cossacks, Mikhail Sholokhov. However, in our today's article we will not talk about him, but about an amazing organization that received the same name much earlier - the ICRC.
ICRC transcript
Every day there is a war going on somewhere. Clarification of relations through the use of brute force is the most common way to resolve the conflict. To help people affected by such actions, an organization was created, which eventually received international status.
ICRC stands for International Committee of the Red Cross. This organization is part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Societies. Crescent. It was organized in Geneva as a humanitarian organization. The abbreviation was introduced for ease of use in colloquial speech, since the name is quite long.
ICRC - what is it? What are its goals and objectives? What is the meaning of activity? Does it bring profit to someone? There are many questions about this organization. After all, her actions are exclusively related to helping the victims, and many people simply do not believe in selflessness.
History of its creation
The organization was founded in 1863 at one of the international conferences in Geneva. The initiator was the "Geneva Welfare Society" after a high-profile book by a journalist who witnessed a battle involving French and Austrian troops. He described in detail what he saw on the battlefield.
As a result, the organization spread throughout the world. The red cross on a white canvas has become a symbol of help and support for the suffering, a symbol of the ICRC. The emblem has been adopted by all states that have signed the Geneva Conventions.
What is this?
The purpose of this independent humanitarian organization is expressed in the principle that even war must be fought within limits. The civilian population should not suffer. First aid should be provided to the victims, the evacuation of the population from "hot spots", etc. should be organized.
Representatives of the ICRC carried out their activities on the territory of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq, that is, in thosecountries where hostilities took place. Where is the ICRC's aid currently directed? Ukraine and Israel are now the most unstable states in a state of military conflict.
Legally, the ICRC is not formalized as an international organization. But it is recognized as such for the reason that its activities are carried out on the territory of all states and are based on international law.
What does the ICRC do? Examples
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC below) bases its activities on the principles of independence, neutrality, voluntariness, impartiality, humanity, unity and universality. They characterize the actions that ICRC delegates take while in conflict areas.
The organization is completely voluntary and includes only volunteers who are willing to risk their he alth and even life for the sake of others. Its representatives do not have the right to take the position of one of the conflicting parties and must remain neutral.
Its main activity is aimed at providing humanitarian assistance. But in some cases, members of the ICRC also provide medical and psychological support to victims of hostilities.
Who funds the ICRC?
The ICRC was founded as a charitable organization and exists solely on donations that are voluntarily contributed by the countries - parties to the Geneva Convention, public and private organizations.
Donations can be made in different waysways. Some private organizations provide the ICRC with the medicines, equipment, things, food, etc. it needs. They even provide housing for refugees and provide them with jobs. Assistance can be expressed not only in monetary terms. This is what makes the ICRC universal and absolutely independent of the opinions of others. There will always be those willing to help and support those who need it.
Donations to the ICRC cannot include weapons of any kind. Representatives of the organization do not have the right to interfere in hostilities, but can only provide assistance to the victims. These are the basic principles of the activities of other charitable organizations.
Working for the ICRC. What does it give?
ICRC delegations operate on all continents. More than a thousand representatives of the ICRC organize the work of volunteers in various countries. Since the organization is engaged in versatile support, the specialists who are part of it are of various profiles and have many skills that are non-standard for their specialization.
The main qualities that a representative of the ICRC should have are stress resistance, communication skills and quick wits. After all, sometimes you have to find a way out of difficult and dangerous situations without losing your composure. The most demanded are the professions of a surgeon, traumatologist, psychologist. Skills of working in the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other similar organizations are welcome.
ICRC skills attract employers who are looking for a responsible and versatile person who is not afraid to change his way of life and strives to changea better world.
The main activities of the ICRC
ICRC delegates have the right to visit prisoners of war held during an international military conflict. The belligerents are required to provide access to prisoners so that the delegates can verify that humanitarian law (conditions, food) is respected and that ill-treatment, which is unacceptable under the Geneva Convention, is excluded. And also talk alone with the prisoners, provide them with the necessary assistance and support, send messages or letters from relatives.
In the event of an internal conflict in a country, the ICRC can only offer its assistance or respond to a call for help from the authorities. But the authorities may not accept the offer of help.
Another side of the ICRC's activities is coordinated by the Central Tracing Agency, which works in several directions at once. The agency collects information about victims of military conflicts in order to provide them with various types of assistance, searches for family members who have lost each other, prepares and sends official appeals to state authorities on behalf of relatives to find out information about missing people.
The main activity is aimed at helping victims of hostilities, especially prisoners of war and civilians.
What is the ICRC's help?
Humanitarian aid from the ICRC - what could it be? First of all, food, warm clothes (clothes, shoes, blankets, etc.)personal hygiene items.
The concept of assistance to the victims of the war includes the provision of housing for displaced persons from the occupied territories, the provision of the necessary minimum set of furniture, utensils and household items. This can be resettlement in specially organized dormitories, in the apartments of citizens who are ready to accept migrants, or the creation of tent camps and the construction of temporary housing.
Rural areas are characterized by ICRC assistance in maintaining agriculture, providing veterinary services and distributing planting seeds and implements.
Providing water supply to the population is a priority for the occupied territories. This assistance includes the delivery of water to regions where there is no access to water supply, as well as the restoration of water towers and the drilling of wells.
Help from the ICRC - what does it give the state? For a country on whose territory hostilities are taking place, the ICRC provides the necessary assistance, thereby helping the authorities to focus on a peaceful settlement of the problem.