Since 2022, over 207,000 victims of the Ukrainian crisis received assistance including pharmacy vouchers, school kits and skills training programs as part of joint initiatives of the Russian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The bilateral collaboration was summarized by President of the Russian Red Cross Pavel Savchuk and ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric as they met on her working visit to Moscow.
The heads of the two organizations also discussed joint activities towards restoring family links. Since February 2022, the RRC Restoring Family Links Service has held over 96,500 consultations on tracing missing persons. In connection with the Ukrainian crisis more than 4,200 files were opened to trace civilians, and the location or fate of 3,474 individuals was determined.
“The Russian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross are bound by years-long ties of partnership, which becomes even more important during humanitarian crises. Today we join efforts to help people who ended up in the most difficult situations; we develop restoring family links programs, improve humanitarian response and enhance our organization’s capacity. We are confident that our cooperation will enable us to effectively respond to emerging humanitarian challenges in future,” said Pavel Savchuk, President of the Russian Red Cross.
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric pointed out that, given the increasing number of protracted conflicts and deteriorating humanitarian situation, it is especially important that the Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies act in a neutral, impartial and independent manner.
Moreover, the counterparts acknowledged that today the International Movement comes under increasingly strong information pressure and faces an inflow of false information, so it is especially important to maintain a non-politicized humanitarian approach and consistently adhere to the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The conversation also addressed the adoption of the Federal Law “On the Russian Red Cross” and the entry into force next September of the Regulations on the Use of Red Cross and Red Crescent Names and Emblems in Russia. It was emphasized that other National Societies can benefit from RRC’s experience in having the law adopted.
A separate topic was the preparations for the Council of Delegates of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to be held in 2026. The Russian Red Cross is actively involved in debates on the draft resolutions, consultations and expert work as part of the preparatory process.
