Report on – 33rd IC Resolution 5: Women and leadership in the humanitarian action of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (33IC/19/R5) – Swiss Red Cross

Has your State/National Society/Institution incorporated the commitments contained in this resolution into the relevant strategic or operational plans?

The commitments are incorporated into:
Strategy
Policy
Operational plan

At the International, National level

Explanation:

The International Cooperation Department of SRC aligns its strategic objectives in its operational work with the IFRC PGI (Protection Gender and Inclusion) Policy (2022) and the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) PGE (Protection, Gender, Equality) guidelines and policies. In its international programme, SRC collects sex dis-aggregated data through standardized indicators agreed upon with the SDC. Data collection focuses on programme implementation (beneficiary data), not on institutional set up of Sister National Societies and the permeability of their local management structures.

The headquarter of the Swiss Red Cross has guiding principles regarding the staffing for leading positions with the goal of more female leaders but also for the whole personnel with the goal of more male employees.

Has your State/National Society/Institution been working with other partners to implement the commitments contained in this resolution?

Partner with:
Government and/or public authorities
ICRC/IFRC
Other National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies
Academia

Examples of cooperation:

Basic requirements of annual reporting to the Swiss Development Cooperation include PGE indicators and SRC International Cooperation (IC) staff actively engages in Learning Journeys and exchanges with SDC and other Swiss civil society partners (NGOs) on PGI / Gender & Diversity / Prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH).
The SRC International Cooperation department takes part and contributes to the IFRC PGI working group and the IFRC PGI support group on a regular basis. The SRC IC Department also encourages Sister National Societies in actively addressing risk and compliance management comprising fraud & corruption, PSEAH and gender & diversity issues. For the past two years, the SRC is building up its expertise in this area to support Sister National Societies in joint NSD-efforts to anticipate the inter-relatedness of the issues in risk and compliance and to pro-actively take measures (such as consequently using gender-neutral job postings, equity in hiring, etc.).
In 2023, the SRC IC Department contributed to a Master Thesis on Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the RCRC Movement: (Christian Tohmé: Examining Diversity, Equity and Inclusion dynamics within Swiss components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Center for Philanthropic Studies, University Basel).

Have you encountered any challenges in implementing the commitments contained in this resolution?

With challenges on:
Human resources
Competing priorities

Details about challenges:

• In times of crises, it is often difficult to find the resources to promote other subjects than the tasks of immediate urgency.
• Another challenge was the skill shortage on the Swiss labor market.

Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the work and direction of your State/National Society/Institution?

Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the communities that your State/National Society/Institution serves?