In their various occupations, ICRC staff may be called on to conduct widely varying tasks that can be divided into two categories:

• basic ICRC activities, in particular those set forth in the Geneva Conventions, such as:

• the protection of detainees and civilian populations,
• the re-establishment of family ties and the tracing of missing persons,
• the provision of food and material and medical assistance,
• the promotion of international humanitarian law;
  

• support activities that enable the ICRC to discharge its mission. These are essentially tasks relating to administration, financial management, information,

interpretation, logistics, transport and telecommunications.

Management functions

Following a period of activity with the organization, ICRC staff may be called on to exercise management responsibilities. The period in question varies from one person to another, with staff members becoming either managers specialized in one of the ICRC's activities, or managers with no specialization.