People and structures
Learn about the people and structures that make up the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
About our structure
The IFRC secretariat is diverse, decentralized and made up of around 2,500 staff. It is responsible for the day-to-day running of our organization, while decisions on IFRC direction and policy are made by our governing bodies. Our overall role is to support the humanitarian activities of our 191 member National Societies.
We are proud to be made up of dedicated staff who are experts in all areas of humanitarian assistance, health, disaster law, climate change, migration, logistics and much more—all working together for the good of humanity.
Our workforce in Geneva and around the world is made up of both national and international personnel. The vast majority of our staff (86%) are based in our five regional offices and a number of sub-regional offices around the world.
Where are we based?
A map illustrating the global presence of the IFRC and our many offices around the world
Photo: IFRC
Our headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.
Our five regional offices are in Panama (Americas), Nairobi (Africa), Beirut (MENA), Budapest (Europe) and Kuala Lumpur (Asia Pacific). Regional offices help strengthen and improve regional cooperation between National Societies. They also conduct disaster and crisis risk management.
We have 50 country or country cluster support offices worldwide that support National Societies with their programmes and organizational development. You can find the names of IFRC Heads of Country and Country Cluster Delegations in our directory.
We have three representative offices which lead our advocacy and influencing work within key international organizations. These are based in:
- New York, representing the IFRC at the United Nations - @IFRC_NYC on X
- Addis Ababa, representing the IFRC at the African Union
- Brussels, representing the IFRC and National Societies in the European Union
