Protecting People in Armed Conflict

At the core of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the mandate and responsibility to protect and assist victims of conflict. The Canadian Red Cross supports the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation) as defined in their annual emergency appeals. The Canadian Red Cross provides financial, human and in-kind resources and is also directly engaged as an operational partner in a variety of program areas, including:

• Emergency and continuing care, including provision of, and support to water and sanitation infrastructure, primary health and preventive care in conflict environments (including HIV\AIDS), food and non-food relief, etc.;
• Protection of vulnerable populations, including both preventive measures and visits to places of detention and family messaging services;
• Physical rehabilitation and treatment, including orthopaedic-prosthetic support;
• Psychological and social support to vulnerable and at-risk communities and individuals, and
• Education, advocacy and conflict resolution activities (including mines awareness, the dissemination of International Humanitarian Law, and activities relating to peace support and the promotion of humanitarian values).

Updated October 2, 2006