The French Red Cross is an association governed by the Act of July 1 1901, its fundamental principles, and recognized as a charitable organisation committed to the fields of emergency response and first aid, social action, health, training, and international solidarity. The French Red Cross works to improve the situation of vulnerable people, particularly victims of natural and technological disasters, and seeks to find each beneficiary the conditions for a dignified existence.
It has become customary nowadays, and particularly since the 1980s, to define humanitarian assistance as life-saving aid. Obviously, life saving in emergency situation is the top priority for humanitarian organisations. It stands for a fact that many humanitarian organisations, following the example given by the Red Cross, were founded to meet this moral requirement.
The French Red Cross is present in about 30 countries for emergency response and implementation of development programs. In coordination with the international network of other National Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, it helps victims of national disasters, rehabilitates systems of access to drinking water, supports housing reconstruction, and supports the fight against HIV.
The action of the French Red Cross is maintaining, as always, its goal, to support vulnerable people by creating the conditions for a long term humanitarian action.
