Urban dwellers already make up half the world's population and their number is set to rise rapidly over the next decades. For many people, moving to the city means a better job and better services. But for millions, city life means violence, poverty, pollution and vulnerability. An estimated one billion people live in slums or other sub-standard housing.

The ICRC and National Societies work together to deliver protection and assistance to the victims of armed conflict. This document sets out how the ICRC and the National Societies cooperate on an operational level and how this cooperation contributes to reinforcing their capacities.

Council of Delegates 2001, Resolution 3

The ICRC works closely with National Societies and their International Federation to respond to humanitarian needs in accordance with the Movement’s Statutes and policies.

ICRC, national societies from 178 countries and their International Federation form the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. All within the Movement share common fundamental principles but are not linked hierarchically. In conflict situations ICRC takes the lead role and directs the work of its partners.

On 2 July, 260 people were killed when a tanker truck exploded in Sange, a village in Uvira Territory in South Kivu Province. Volunteers from the DRC Red Cross were immediately mobilized to evacuate the injured as well as the bodies of victims. Pascal Nepa reports.

In order to be able to respond quickly and effectively to any possible incidents during the presidential elections in March in El Salvador, the Salvadorean Red Cross implemented its Elections 2009 Contingency Plan, with the technical and financial support of the ICRC. The ICRC supported the National Society's prevention work and ensured that its operational and security guidelines were followed.

Amid the growing threat of violence in Madagascar, the Malagasy Red Cross continues to mobilize volunteer teams of first aiders all around the island, prepared to help treat and evacuate people injured in political demonstrations. A report from the capital, Antananarivo by the ICRC's Mike Myers.

Since May of this year, Guinea-Bissau has been in the throes of a cholera epidemic. By early October, 9,843 cases had been recorded and the death toll had risen to 178. The epidemic has hit mainly the south west of the country and the capital, Bissau, where various agencies have been working. In the isolated enclave of Sao Domingos, the ICRC has been mobilizing and training volunteers from the Guinea-Bissau Red Cross and supporting their efforts to fight the disease.

Clashes between the Mamprusi and Kusasi tribes in the northern Ghanaian town of Bawku have left many people in fear of their lives and separated from their livelihoods. The Red Cross has stepped in to help them through these trying times.

Until the 2006 ceasefire agreement, the ICRC’s primary aim in Nepal was to protect and assist victims of the armed conflict between the government and the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist. It has since adapted its assistance activities to the new situation of internal disturbances. The ICRC’s Susannah Cernojevich reports.

In Korhogo, northern Côte d’Ivoire, a centre run by the Red Cross Society of Côte d’Ivoire treats children suffering from acute malnutrition. The ICRC has been supporting the centre since 2006, and is also working to prevent malnutrition occurring. Iolanda Jaquemet reports.

Restoring family links is an important part of the Myanmar Red Cross Society’s response to the devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis. The ICRC’s technical expertise in this field is helping to strengthen the National Society’s effectiveness in reuniting family members.

Around 10,000 people on a small island in the eastern part of Myanmar's cyclone-ravaged Irrawaddy Delta now have access to safe drinking water thanks to the Myanmar Red Cross Society and the ICRC.

In June 2010 widespread unrest and violence erupted in parts of Kyrgyzstan. Very quickly, an estimated 100,000 people fled the country to Uzbekistan, where many received emergency assistance from the authorities, supported by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, until they were able to return to Kyrgyzstan.

This edition pays tribute to Haitian Red Cross volunteers for their efforts to rescue and assist the victims of the earthquake. Also in this issue: restoring family links in the aftermath of natural disasters; tuberculosis in the prisons of Azerbaijan and Georgia; the Movement takes up the challenge of urban violence.

The Red Cross, Red Crescent Movement is present on almost all of today's battlefields working to save lives and alleviate human suffering. How do the different components of such a large network work together to acheive this? This brochure provides general information on the various ways that the ICRC cooperates with National Societies worldwide. It also highlights specific cooperation initiatives to show the value of this core ICRC programme area.

A practical manual presenting the specific knowledge, skills and practices that First Aiders should have to act safely and effectively when caring for people caught up in armed conflicts and other situations of violence, such as internal disturbances and tensions.

In practice, not all National Societies have taken full advantage of the opportunities provided by the International Conference for interaction and relationship-building with their own authorities. Practical ways are suggested to help National Societies participate more actively in the Conference and to use it to good benefit before and afterwards.

In Somalia, protracted war has forced millions of people to leave their homes in recent years. The Somalia Red Crescent Society offers primary health care services to many displaced families. ICRC medical officer Hawa Musse talks about some of the challenges the IDPs are facing.

The ICRC and the Honduran Red Cross are working together to help people affected by the recent clashes between demonstrators and the security forces. Christoph Kleber, deputy head of the ICRC's regional delegation for Central America, describes Red Cross action on the ground in Tegucigalpa.

Long before the recent post-election violence that set the ICRC and Kenya Red Cross (KRCS) into emergency mode late last year, the delegation in Nairobi has been an important logistics and support hub for the ICRC. After five years on the job, outgoing head of delegation Pascal Cuttat explains the evolution of the ICRC's role over the years and the secret to its effective cooperation with the KRCS during the recent crisis.

A joint statement from the presidents of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross on the occasion of World Red Cross Red Crescent Day 2010.

In this address made in Istanbul, 20 May 2007, Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), states that the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement needs to define clear responsibilities for each of its components to remain efficient, notably in the field of migration.

in this address, the ICRC president says that priority is given to operational partnerships with operating National Societies involving strategic, long-term investment as operational partners.

One year on from the end of hostilities, Sri Lanka is in transition from conflict to reconstruction and recovery. For the ICRC a lot remains to be done to meet the needs of conflict victims, including detainees and their families, amputees and other disabled people, displaced people and returnees.

The ICRC has extended its support to 32 Somali Red Crescent clinics in central and southern Somalia, which have treated over 140,000 patients and provided more than 60,000 vaccinations since January 2008. The organization also continues to support the two surgical referral hospitals in Mogadishu, Medina and Keysaney.

The suffering of families without news of what has happened to a relative is one of the cruellest consequences of war and disaster. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's global network seeks to restore and maintain links between separated family members and to establish the fate of missing persons.

In our efforts to protect and assist victims of conflicts and natural disasters, fight poverty and reduce the impact of diseases, it is essential to join forces.

It’s like Mogadishu or Beirut during the height of conflict, says one veteran relief worker. Entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble. Another compared the quake’s aftermath to the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, which wiped out whole communities and claimed 230,000 lives in a dozen countries. The numbers in Haiti back up the comparison: 225,000 killed, 1.2 million left homeless. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2010.

The importance of uniting families separated in times of crisis is becoming increasingly central to the Movement’s response — from Indonesia, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2010.

As aid agencies race to provide shelter to withstand the hurricane season, the Red Cross Red Crescent sees hope among the ruins. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2010.

In 2009, the ‘Our world. Your move.’ campaign will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the battle of Solferino and the founding ideal of the spirit of volunteerism, the 90th anniversary of the founding of the International Federation and the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, which give protection to the most vulnerable people in times of war. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2009.

The spectre of famine hovers over East Africa. What can the Red Cross Red Crescent do to help? Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2009.

Last October, as fighting raged in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Red Cross volunteers and their ICRC colleagues strove to come to the aid of some 200,000 civilians forced to flee their homes. Three of them describe their experiences. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2009.

The recent conflict in Georgia triggered a swift and steady humanitarian response from the Movement. These brief accounts from ICRC Tbilisi and Tskhinvali staff illustrate the early stages of assistance to the victims of the conflict. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 3, 2008

The major food crisis that has taken hold in recent months is affecting millions of people across the globe and posing a threat to many more. Escalating prices of primary agricultural produce, together with an unprecedented increase in oil prices, are causing serious hardship, especially for the most vulnerable people. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is concerned about these developments and is gearing up for action. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 2, 2008

The post-election crisis in Kenya has left hundreds of people dead and displaced more than a quarter of a million. The efforts of the Kenya Red Cross Society, supported by the ICRC, proved very effective for those affected by the violence. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 2, 2008

One outcome of the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is a resolution that included a call on states to strengthen the protection of civilians against the indiscriminate use and effects of weapons and munitions, stressing the need to address the humanitarian impact of explosive remnants of war and cluster munitions. Apart from efforts on the legal front, the Movement is also striving to reduce the humanitarian impact of weapon contamination through its operations - Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2008.

Larger than France, with a population of just four million, the Central African Republic is the world’s sixth poorest country. Increased insecurity and a series of uprisings in the north have plunged the country into a deep crisis. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 3, 2007.