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The International Committee of the Red Cross

The ICRC's unique role as guardian of IHL, its operations, and its approach to confidentiality.

Guardian of IHL

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) holds a unique position in international law. It is a private Swiss organization, not a UN body, but the Geneva Conventions give it specific legal mandates: the right to visit prisoners of war and civilian detainees, the authority to act as a neutral intermediary between parties to a conflict, and the role of promoting and developing IHL.

The ICRC was founded in 1863 by Henry Dunant and four other Swiss citizens after Dunant witnessed the carnage of the Battle of Solferino. It initiated the first Geneva Convention in 1864 and has been at the center of IHL development ever since. Today the ICRC operates in over 100 countries with approximately 20,000 staff, making it one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world.

The International Committee of the Red Cross | Model…