The International Federation works through its National Societies and with the International Committee of the Red Cross, but it also collaborates with many other organizations in order to meet today's growing humanitarian challenges.

By working in partnership at all levels – global, regional and local – the International Federation is striving to achieve its Global Agenda goals, which support the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, by reducing the impact of disasters, diseases and public health emergencies, while making communities stronger, and promoting respect for diversity and human dignity.

United Nations partnerships

Since 1994, the International Federation has had observer status at the UN General Assembly, giving it the opportunity to take part in international debates at the highest level, and access to negotiations and discussions within many international organisations.

In addition, the International Federation has developed working agreements and strategic alliances with a wide range of United Nations partners in a variety of areas including:

•  The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

•  UN Volunteers

•  The UN Population Fund

•  The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

•  The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)

•  The World Health Organization (WHO)

•  The World Food Programme (WFP)

•  UNICEF

•  UNAIDS

•  The UN Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)

•  The UN Environment Program

•  The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

The shelter programme

In 2005, OCHA asked the International Federation to take a global lead in emergency shelter.

The process of “sheltering” goes beyond the basics of providing tents or temporary accommodation. It is a central part of broader efforts to help families and communities recover from the effects of natural disasters. It is about helping people live through often long periods of recovery with dignity and security, while ensuring they are able to move comfortably from transitional to permanent homes.

The shelter programme is being developed in close consultation between National Societies, the International Federation's Secretariat, UN agencies, donor governments and NGOs.

International partnerships

The International Federation maintains strong links with the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) in order to optimize the quality of its response to disasters and post-disaster situations around the globe. Within the European Union, main activities are related to anti-discrimination, civil protection, elderly, health and social care, migration, asylum and refugees, road safety, first aid, and youth. International activities outside the EU include disaster management, EU development policy (especially in Africa ), migration, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and water and sanitation.

The International Federation is also regularly involved with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), which brings together all the major actors involved in emergency response.

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, a non-profit organization that focuses on disaster risk reduction, is another of the International Federation's partners, as are the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) and the OPEC Fund for International Development.

The International Federation and the ICRC are also on the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response, an alliance for voluntary action, which pools members' experience and uses its collective weight to carry out effective humanitarian action. The alliance supports humanitarian policy development and aims to close the policy–practice gap.

In addition, the International Federation works in partnership with research institutions, universities and the private sector to share experiences and monitor trends in humanitarian assistance, including funding, standards and methodologies.

Local and national partnerships

National Societies work to build partnerships with community groups, businesses, government ministries and inter-governmental agencies, to enable them to integrate their programmes and services in each country more effectively.

This work is supported at the regional level by the International Federation's representational activity, including with UN regional organisations and others, such as the League of Arab States and the Organisation of American States .

IFRC-hosted partnerships

In addition to National Societies and the ICRC, the International Federation works closely with its own centres of expertise and reference, including the Climate Change Centre in the Hague (hosted by the Netherlands Red Cross), the Psychological Support Centre (hosted by the Danish Red Cross), the European Reference Centre for First Aid Education (hosted by the French Red Cross),

The International Federation hosts the ProVention Consortium , which aims to forge partnerships and promote multi-stakeholder networking, counts several governments, international financial institutions, universities, research centres, NGOs, private companies, and international and regional organisations among its partners. It is dedicated to increasing the safety of vulnerable communities and reducing disaster impact in developing countries.

In addition, the International Federation hosts the Sphere Project, which was launched in 1997 by a group of humanitarian NGOs, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, to alleviate human suffering resulting from crises and ensure the right to dignity and assistance.

The Reach Out Refugee Protection Training Project is also hosted by the International Federation. It was started in 2001 by NGOs and the Movement, in collaboration with UNHCR, in order to train humanitarian staff in the basics of refugee protection.

The Global Road Safety Partnership, which is another project hosted by the International Federation, unites governments, businesses and civil society to work together to address road safety problems in low and middle-income countries in order to save lives. Meanwhile, the “Renewing Our Voice” project is a joint initiative with several agencies, which aims to ensure that the Code of Practice for NGOs working in the field of HIV/AIDS is implemented.

Other examples of partnerships and alliances:

International Olympic Committee In 2003, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Federation signed a memorandum of understanding to contribute to human and sustainable development. The IOC and the International Federation encourage cooperation at the national level in the field of volunteering, while helping disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. Discussions are now taking place in China and the UK in preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games in those countries.

Nestlé The International Federation began working with Nestlé in 2002 on HIV/AIDS prevention projects. As a result, Nestlé helped National Societies in Nigeria and Kenya provide life-saving information to more than 1.2 million young people through youth peer education programmes, and extend home-based care to thousands of families affected by HIV/AIDS.

In 2006, the International Federation and Nestlé agreed that Nestlé would continue to support projects related to the International Federation's Global Water and Sanitation Initiative (GWSI), which is also funded by the European Commission, for another three years. Initial GWSI projects supported by Nestlé include ensuring safe water supply to villages in sub-Saharan Africa , as well as community training and hygiene promotion.

Grameen Bank In 2006, the International Federation and the Fundación Latino Grameen, a partner of the Grameen Bank, signed a letter of intent to bring microcredit to the poorest of the poor in every African country.

The new partnership marries the 30-year expertise of Grameen in micro-credit schemes, with the grassroots reach of the International Federation in Africa , ensuring greater impact by both organisations in reducing poverty in Africa . Since 1976, Grameen has lent small sums of money that have helped lift millions of very poor families out of poverty in Bangladesh, where it currently serves 5.36 million borrowers, and in many other countries where the model was replicated.

Microsoft The International Federation and Microsoft Europe Middle East and Africa signed an agreement in 2005 to enhance the organisation's technology infrastructure. Under the agreement, Microsoft, through the International Federation, will provide National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, particularly those in under-funded regions, with technological tools to help them improve their ability to serve affected populations more effectively.

Microsoft is also donating software licences to National Societies in the least-developed countries in Africa and the Middle East , while providing technology training to volunteers and communities, and offering consulting time by Microsoft employee volunteers.

Measles Initiative Partnerships in health are producing lasting change, as the Measles Initiative shows. Spearheaded by the American Red Cross and supported by National Societies, the International Federation, the Centers for Disease Control, the UN Foundation, UNICEF and the WHO, the initiative has achieved remarkable success, resulting in a 75 per cent reduction in the number of measles deaths in Africa , and a 60 per cent reduction worldwide since 1999.

By the end of 2006, more than 217 million African children in 41 countries had been vaccinated thanks to the partnership, while more than $144 million USD had been raised.

Other initiative partners include the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), as well as many governments in countries affected by measles.

A critical factor in this success story has been the role of Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies in the countries where vaccination campaigns take place. They provide assistance with planning, logistics and manpower. Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers are an essential part of these operations.

Building on this success, the Measles Initiative partners are planning further campaigns in 14 countries in 2007, with the aim of vaccinating 23 million children.

Global cooperation on community health Worldwide, Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies work with ministries of health and the WHO to strengthen community-level health initiatives and tackle v arious health issues, such as SARS, avian influenza and HIV/AIDS, at a local level.