International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Office in South Africa:

Street: 794 Church Street, Arcadia, Pretoria
Postal: PO Box 29001, Sunnyside 0132
tel: 27 12 437 335/6/7
fax: 27 12 434 471
e-mail: icrcpre@wn.apc.otg

HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS

Structure of the ICRC

(a) The ICRC is the founding body of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

(b) The Movement comprises the -

ICRC;
National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (National Societies must first be recognized by the ICRC in order to become part of the Movement); and the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation)
(c) The Committee has a maximum of 25 members, and is the supreme deliberative body of the ICRC. Historically the Committee's members are all Swiss citizens.

(d) An Executive Board, comprising the President and no more than seven Committee Members, carries out the day-to-day work and supervises the administration.

Main activities of the ICRC

(a) Promotes the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols and sees to their development and implementation.

(b) Assists and protects victims of war and internal violence by, for example, undertaking prison visits in times of war and political tensions.

(c) Provides relief to the victims of armed conflict and internal violence and ensures that protected persons are treated according to humanitarian law.

(d) In times of peace disseminates International Humanitarian Law, for instance, by organising conferences, conducting workshops with, amongst others, armed forces and civilians, to raise awareness of Humanitarian Law.

(e) Re-unites families dispersed by war and conflict for instance by maintaining the Central Tracing Agency in Geneva.

(f) Plays a substantial role in the international campaign to ban landmines.

(g) Issues travel documents to enable people without identity papers to reach host countries or return to their countries of origin.

(h) In collaboration with states and national societies, provides health and social services to vulnerable people to prevent communicable deseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and polio.

The ICRC became active in South Africa when delegates began visiting prisoners convicted of security offences in 1963.

In 1978 the ICRC opened a Permanent Delegation in Pretoria. In the mid-1980s, in cooperation with the South African Red Cross Society (SARCS), the ICRC began community programmes in townships.

It also became involved in the rendering of humanitarian assistance to Mozambican displaced persons in the then Eastern Transvaal.

OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND COOPERATING ORGANISATIONS

SANDF Legal Section
Department of Health
Department of Home Affairs
Department of Correctional Services
Department of Constitutional Development
SA Police Services
Department of Foreign Affairs
- Legal Section
- SADC and other relevant bilateral desks
National Consortium on Refugee Affairs
SA Red Cross

RELEVANT TREATIES AND PROTOCOLS, ETC.

The Geneva Conventions and their Protocols

GENERAL COMMENTS

The advantages obtained from membership are not always easily quantifiable on the basis of a straightforward cost/benefit analysis. They vary from direct financial returns in the form of programmes aimed at South Africa, to the less tangible, such as political benefits and access to information.