German Red Cross

GRC is one of the biggest welfare organizations in Germany. It also plays a major role at international level by assisting sister National Red Cross / Red Crescent Societies in the event of natural or technical disasters and in humanitarian crises brought about by internal unrest, conflict and war. The GRC as a part of the Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement has adopted a set of principles which govern all action: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary service, Unity and Universality.

The international operations of the GRC rely on two main funding sources: contributions from public funds and private donations. The most important donor institutions are the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union.

The areas of intervention at international level of GRC are based on three main pillars: emergency response, rehabilitation and development co-operation with a special focus on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Inside the GRC activities in DRR a difference can be made between vulnerability and capacity assessments, disaster mitigation and disaster preparedness activities.

The goal of GRC activities in DRR is to strengthen the resilience of the vulnerable population facing complex natural hazards and to improve the disaster management capacities of the National Red Cross / Red Crescent Society on site. The responsibilities for these activities lies with the international co-operation department of GRCs national headquarter in Berlin.