The ICRC in North America

The Washington regional delegation covers the United States and Canada, promoting IHL, facilitating ICRC operations worldwide through its contacts and visiting people in Guantanamo. It raises awareness of the ICRC's mandate, mobilizes support, facilitates IHL implementation and works closely with the American and Canadian Red Cross Societies. Read full overview.

Facts and Figures

During 2010, the ICRC:

maintained regular contact with the US law and policy system on detention issues and continued to engage with the US administration on the conduct of hostilities;
strengthened high-level dialogue with the Department of Defense and the Special Operations Command, with personal briefings by ICRC staff heading operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan;
stepped up operational briefings for US Marine Corps units deploying to Afghanistan;
helped establish common IHL teaching practices among US academics, holding training courses for professors of the American University and the University of California at Berkeley;
confirmed the relevance and effectiveness of its electronic newsletter through a readership survey;
with the Organization of American States (OAS), extended dialogue on the use of force from a specialized OAS subcommittee to the level of member States.

The ICRC has 30 staff in North America, including 12 expatriates.