International Red Cross Organization

Originally set up as a non-profit organization, funded by donations and grants, the IRCO was designed to serve as a humanitarian first response team for disasters.

Since its original creation, humanitarian aid agencies have sprung up in many parts of NationStates, with the IRCO being called upon to coordinate the activities of these national disaster response teams. The role of the IRCO has been increased beyond just responding to disasters, to include additional tasks such as coordinating the international transfer of blood supplies and being an advocate for basic human rights issues. The IRCO has also been called upon to send in neutral observers in some conflicts between UN member nations in order to see that the Wolfish Convention on POW was adhered to by UN. Although chartered by the United Nations, the IRCO and the national humanitarian aid societies have not limited their activities to just United Nations member states.

IRCO History in UN

The IRCO was founded on Sep. 1, 2003 by Los Chingados's IRCO resolution (#29), by a vote of 11,835 to 1,600. To date only Goobergunchia's Outlaw Pedophilia resolution (#22) achieved a higher level of support.

The role of the IRCO was expanded by the UN in with the adoption of Malagassia's World Blood Bank resolution (#55), in which the UN asked its member states to use the IRCO to coordinate the distribution of national blood bank supplies to other national blood bank programs, as needed. In acknowledging the nature of the association of the UN created IRCO to national humanitarian assistance programs, the language of this resolution actually specifically cited a "Red Cross" and a "Red Crescent".

The authority of the IRCO to respond to disasters was later enhanced by the passage of UN Resolution 76, Good Samaritan Laws, adopted Oct. 8, 2004 and UN Resolution 77, Epidemic Prevention Protocol, adopted Oct. 13, 2004.