On the ground in over 90 countries – neutral, impartial, and independent – we are the International Committee of the Red Cross

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. We are based in Geneva, Switzerland, and employ some 16,000 people in more than 80 countries. The ICRC is funded mainly by voluntary donations from governments and from National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Our mandate & mission

The work of the ICRC is based on the Geneva Conventions of 1949, their Additional Protocols, its Statutes those of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the resolutions of the International Conferences of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The ICRC is an independent, neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of war and armed violence. It takes action in response to emergencies and promotes respect for international humanitarian law and its implementation in national law.

The ICRC’s Mission Statement

The International Committee of the Red Cross is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance.

The ICRC also endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.

We provide our staff with the opportunity to work in diverse teams around the world and apply their skills in the field to make a genuine difference. We hire professionals with a strong humanitarian motivation for roles in over 80 countries to help people affected by armed conflict and other violence.

We recruit two kinds of staff: resident and mobile. Resident field staff are hired on local contracts to work in a specific position in a specific country.

By contrast, mobile field staff are hired on a Geneva-based contract and can be deployed to work in any country where there is a need. Mobile field staff typically change country with each new assignment. Please note that mobile field staff cannot be assigned to a country of which they are nationals.

If we have an agreement with your National Society and your profile is of interest, we may wish to share your file with them. These National Societies may then offer you a contract under their domestic labour law and send you on secondment to the ICRC (known as “staff on loan”) for an assignment abroad. Find out more here.

Working for the ICRC is not like working anywhere else. Humanitarian work truly changes lives.

We also have job opportunities for mobile and resident positions at our headquarters in Geneva. All traineeships opportunities are based at headquarters.