How the International Committee of the Red Cross is fighting COVID-19 across the world
A highly valued social responsibility partner of UEFA since 1997, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is working across the world in a variety of ways in response to the COVID-19 crisis – underlining its lasting commitment to saving lives by providing critical resources and giving help to millions of vulnerable people.
Since its creation in 1863, the Geneva-based ICRC has helped people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering.
UEFA and the ICRC
Learn more about the ICRC’s partnership with UEFA on page 200 of the 2018/19 UEFA Football and Social Responsibility Report.
In 1997, the ICRC became UEFA's first charity partner, and UEFA became the ICRC's first sport association partner. The UEFA-ICRC partnership has dual objectives:
- Providing physically disabled people with rehabilitation services
- Improving access to social inclusion activities, including sport, for physically disabled people.
- UEFA has annually donated 100,000 Euros to the ICRC in association with its UEFA.com users’ Team of the Year
COVID-19 : The ICRC’s global response to the crisis
The ICRC is currently carrying out a major realignment of its assistance activities – a measure brought about by the need to respond to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in recent times. On a variety of fronts, the organisation is adapting its existing work to the viral environment which now exists across the world.
The ICRC’s work is based on the premise that while COVID-19 is already a global pandemic, it is still possible to reduce its spread and the number of lives lost by improving access to critical resources.
Here are some of the ICRC’s crucial current activities:
1) ICRC COVID-19 action in areas of conflict
2) Strengthening practices in detention centres
3) Gathering government and international community support
4) ICRC/IFRC emergency appeal
5) Where the ICRC is active worldwide
Committed to saving lives…
“The ICRC with our movement partners can make the difference in specific areas,” the ICRC emphasises. “The humanitarian aid we provide on the frontlines is essential to saving lives during this crisis.”
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