Established in 1863, the ICRC operates worldwide, helping people affected by conflict and armed violence and promoting the laws that protect victims of war.

An independent and neutral organization, its mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

State parties (signatories) to the Geneva Convention of 1949 and its Additional Protocols of 1977 (Protocol I, Protocol II) and 2005 have given the ICRC a mandate to protect victims of international and internal armed conflicts. Such victims include war wounded persons, prisoners, refugees, civilians, and other non-combatants.

ICRC is based in Geneva and employ over 20,000 people in more than 100 countries.

The ICRC is funded mainly by voluntary donations from governments and from National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

It is a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate.