1. Introduction
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (the Movement) is at an important stage in its evolution. It is faced with changing world events that call for ever greater efforts on its part to provide services to improve the human condition at the local, national and international levels. At the same time, the public perception of the nature and role of the Movement is also changing. Its activities are more diversified than a generation ago, its capacity and also the needs it is seeking to address are greater, and new actors are becoming involved in humanitarian work.
Through its three components - the 163 recognised National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross - the Movement is responding to these multiple challenges with a variety of measures. This paper provides an overview of the steps being taken to ensure that the Movement as a whole continues as a leading humanitarian organisation into the next century. This it can only fully achieve, however, by forging a renewed and active partnership with governments.
Section 2 briefly reviews current global socio-economic trends and their implications for the work of the Movement. Section 3 discusses the special features and general situation of the National Societies today. Section 4 looks at the main sectoral activities of National Societies, and stresses that these represent a significant and cost effective contribution to national development efforts which can and must be expanded further. Section 5 outlines some of the measures that the Movement itself is taking to strengthen its capacity and performance in order to enhance the effectiveness of its international network. Section 6 sets out some principles for an optimal relationship between National Societies and governments, while section 7 outlines some of the steps that governments are encouraged to take to maximise the potential represented by the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
