The ICRC
Established
in 1863, the ICRC operates worldwide, helping people affected by conflict and
armed violence and promoting the laws that protect victims of war. An
independent and neutral organization, its mandate stems essentially from
the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We are based in Geneva, Switzerland, and employ
some 18,000 people in more than 90 countries. The ICRC is funded mainly by
voluntary donations from governments and from National Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies.
The ICRC in Rwanda
The ICRC has maintained a permanent
presence in Rwanda since 1990. It works with the national authorities to
improve conditions for those held in detention, promotes greater understanding
of international humanitarian law (IHL), including its incorporation into
domestic legislation, works with the Rwandan Red Cross to reunite children with
their families and restore family links, and assists the National Society in
strengthening and developing its humanitarian response capacity.
InOur Mandate & Mission
The
work of the ICRC is based on the Geneva Conventions of 1949, their Additional
Protocols, its Statutes − and those of the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement − and the resolutions of the International Conferences of the
Red Cross and Red Crescent. The ICRC is an independent,
neutral organization providing humanitarian protection and assistance
to victims of war and armed violence. It takes action in response to
emergencies and promotes respect for international humanitarian law and its
implementation in national law.
The ICRC's Mission Statement
The International Committee of the Red Cross is an impartial,
neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian
mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and
other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance.
Visiting detainees
The ICRC works with detention
authorities to improve the conditions of detention and treatment of detainees,
in accordance with internationally recognised standards. It visits over 57,000
detainees held throughout the country in central prisons, police stations and
military camps, sharing its findings and recommendations with the respective
authorities through confidential oral and written reports. Among those visited
regularly are detainees transferred to Rwanda by the Special Court for Sierra
Leone (SCSL) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), as well
as former weapon bearers in Rwandan Demobilization and Reintegration Commission
camps. In addition, the ICRC continues to assist the Rwandan authorities in
improving living conditions for detainees by providing technical and material
support to the Rwanda Correctional Service. Under a cost-sharing agreement, a
variety of initiatives
are undertaken to boost the nutritional status, health
and hygiene of inmates.
Restoring family links
In cooperation with the National Red
Cross Society, the ICRC continues to assist children separated from their
families by conflict and/or natural disasters. This involves locating their
relatives, reuniting them with their families when appropriate, and supporting
their reintegration into family and community life. The ICRC also helps to
restore contacts between family members who have been separated, including
former weapon bearers, illegal immigrants and minors in detention.
Promoting international humanitarian law
The ICRC helps to raise awareness and
understanding of IHL, in particular within Rwandan political, military, police
and academic circles, as well as working with the
Rwandan authorities to
incorporate IHL into domestic legislation.
Cooperation with the Rwandan Red Cross
ICRC assistance provided to the Rwandan Red Cross includes the training of instructors and local disaster response teams in first aid in so doing also helping the National Society
in its aim to expand free first-aid services throughout the country.
Address
KN 41 St, Kigali, Rwanda
Reception
Hours
Mon-Thur: 8 am - 5 pm
General ICRC Kigali Contact for Info
Fax: (+250) 572 783
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