Attachments
NATIONAL SOCIETY PROFILE
The beginnings of the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina date back to 1912. The organization that formed in that period was called “The Bosnia and Herzegovina Society for Assistance and Voluntary Medical Assistance During the War and in Cases of Large-Scale Disasters in the Peacetime”. Its goals were identical to those of the Red Cross. Respecting the historical identity and continuity of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Red Cross, the State has recognized the organization’s long history of operations by passing a law on the use and protection of the emblem and the name of the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The National Society was admitted to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in 2001.
The law and its statutes delineate the National Society as a humanitarian organization comprising Bosnian citizens, duly recognized, and empowered to pursue humanitarian objectives, tasks, and public mandates. These responsibilities encompass various activities such as health education, social protection, tracing services, and other programs in times of peace, as well as during natural disasters and emergencies.
Such endeavors adhere strictly to the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality. The National Society is the only Red Cross organization which is operational throughout the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is composed of the Red Cross Societies of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and the Brcko District. The National Society has modern, widely recognized, and accepted programmes. With its single network of Red Cross organizations and volunteers (which represent the foundation of the organization), the National Society, independently or in partnership with governmental institutions or other non-governmental humanitarian organizations, has initiated and conducted a series of activities in response to the needs of the most vulnerable people in the country. By 2022, the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina reached 65,000 people through its long-term services and development programmes and 10,000 people by disaster response and early recovery programmes.