International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organisation, founded in Geneva in 1863. In India, its history goes back to Partition in 1947-48 and the India-Pakistan conflicts of 1965 and 1971, during which it carried out humanitarian work in the subcontinent. It formally set up its regional delegation in New Delhi in 1982, which today covers India, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives.

The regional delegation’s core mandate in India centres on visiting people detained in connection with the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, wherever in India they are held, to check on their treatment and conditions and help them stay in touch with their families. It also supports physical rehabilitation services, works closely with the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) on emergency response and family reunification, backs the Maldivian Red Crescent, and promotes international humanitarian law (IHL) among government, security forces and civil society across the region.

Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland (Regional Delegation for India, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives based in New Delhi)

Major Areas of Work

• Detainee Welfare: visits people detained in connection with the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, checks on their treatment and conditions, and helps them stay in touch with their families.
• Physical Rehabilitation: supports rehabilitation centres in Dimapur (Nagaland), Jammu and Kashmir, and Raipur (Chhattisgarh), and runs a wider Physical Rehabilitation Programme now in its 22nd year.
• Indian Red Cross Society Support: works with the IRCS on emergency response, first aid, livelihoods, community health, and family reunification through its Family News Service.
• Maldivian Red Crescent Support: has worked with the Maldivian Red Crescent since 2004, alongside the IFRC, on disaster preparedness, first aid and health facilities.
• International Humanitarian Law Promotion: runs workshops, seminars and training for government officials, security forces, judges, journalists, academics, medical staff, NGOs and civil society, and works with governments on IHL treaties, laws and national mechanisms.
• Family Reunification: reconnects families separated by conflict or disaster through its Restoring Family Links network, including joint assessments after natural disasters in the region.

Major Initiatives & Programmes

• Physical Rehabilitation Programme, India: marked 22 years of work with its first dedicated roundtable, held in June 2026.
• Rehabilitation Centres: supports physical rehabilitation centres in Dimapur (Nagaland), Jammu and Kashmir, and Raipur (Chhattisgarh).
• OPAI Partnership: collaborated with the Orthotics and Prosthetics Association of India on its 29th National Conference, held in Ahmedabad in February 2026, bringing together more than 700 national and international delegates.
• IRCS Family News Service: backs the Indian Red Cross Society’s service tracing and reuniting families separated by conflict or disaster.
• National Disaster Management Authority Advisory: advises India’s National Disaster Management Authority on the management of dead bodies after disasters.
• Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition: supports the India National Rounds of this international humanitarian law moot court, now in its 24th edition, held in November 2025.
• Flood Response, Assam: supported Indian Red Cross Society volunteers delivering essential items to flood affected districts in Assam.
• Maldivian Red Crescent Cooperation: has worked with the Maldivian Red Crescent since 2004, following the Indian Ocean tsunami, supporting it through to full recognition as a national society in 2011.

Impact

In India, the ICRC’s Physical Rehabilitation Programme has run for 22 years, supporting centres in Nagaland, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh. Its 2026 collaboration with the Orthotics and Prosthetics Association of India brought together more than 700 national and international delegates in Ahmedabad. Globally, the organisation has worked across more than 130 conflicts, with operations in more than 90 countries and over 15,800 staff, with 93.5 percent of donations going directly to field operations.

Leadership

• President – Mirjana Spoljaric
• Director-General – Pierre Krahenbuhl

ICRC’s work in India is an excellent fit for professionals passionate about international humanitarian law, detainee welfare, physical rehabilitation and disaster response across India, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives.