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2026 Council of Delegates

Provisional agenda, draft resolutions and background documents, progress reports, commission outline
25th Session of the IFRC General Assembly

Documents and detail information
Council of Delegates and International Conference Blog

Special series of five articles dedicated to the implementation of the resolutions adopted during the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent

2026 Council of Delegates – Commission & Spotlight Sessions

We are living through a period of profound change marked by a continuing reconfiguration of international relations and growing challenges to the norms and institutions that underpin international cooperation. With the number of armed conflicts globally rising every year, now standing at around 130, and the effects extending well beyond national borders, human suffering across the world is growing relentlessly. Meanwhile, humanitarian funding is shrinking drastically. The humanitarian environment is also characterized by a growing number of climate-related disasters and public health emergencies. The level of political and societal polarization and fragmentation is very high, and dehumanizing language and harmful information are on the rise.
 
This environment puts affected populations at greater risk and endangers impartial and neutral humanitarian actors, such as National Society personnel and volunteers. It is also conducive to violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), including attacks against humanitarian workers.
How can the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement) rise to these challenges, deliver impactful humanitarian action and speak with a compelling and united voice for humanity? How can we ensure that the Movement is ready for future challenges and opportunities?

This commission will discuss, explore and agree on a future-ready and powerful Movement value proposition grounded in complementarity, efficiency and principled and impactful humanitarian action. This pivotal moment offers an opportunity to influence and adapt to evolving global challenges and ensure the Movement remains resilient and purpose-driven in the decades to come.

This will specifically involve focusing on the need to:
  • place affected populations at the centre by delivering collective and principled humanitarian action, always driven by the Fundamental Principle of Humanity
  • stand united, complementary in our mandates and coordinated in our actions, with National Societies at the centre, leveraging the full potential of local-to-global capacities and increasing our interoperability and collective efficiency
  • invest sustainably in conflict, disaster, emergency and crisis preparedness to be ready to respond in an increasingly volatile environment
  • uphold and promote IHL as a common good of humanity
  • leverage the opportunity to strengthen the international legal framework for disaster risk management through a treaty on the protection of persons in the event of disasters
  • ensure the safety and security of our personnel and volunteers by addressing evolving physical, psychological, cyber and technology‑related threats to humanitarian personnel.

  • Format

    The commission will consist of an opening plenary, a closing plenary and six spotlight sessions on the following topics:
    • Humanity first: Achieving collective impact
    • Treaty on the protection of persons in the event of disasters: Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Movement
    • Challenges and levers for the protection of humanitarian personnel in a context of conflict
    • Driving collective preparedness across the Movement
    • Strengthening our collective action: The Movement’s roadmap for international humanitarian law
    • Agility and interoperability in a united Movement fit for the future.

     
    The opening plenary will introduce the overall theme of the commission as well as the spotlight sessions. The closing plenary will consolidate key insights, emerging priorities and possible areas for follow-up.
This spotlight session will examine how the Movement can put Humanity first and strengthen its collective impact in an era of escalating crises and constrained resources. Bringing together perspectives from all Movement components, it will emphasize our shared commitment to the Principle of Humanity as the foundation of our collective mission.
 
The session will reflect on how to strengthen collective accountability and complementarity in delivering that mission, in line with our respective mandates and the Statutes of the Movement. It will also provide a space for constructive dialogue on the implementation of the Seville Agreement 2.0 to ensure principled, coordinated and people‑centred action that leaves no one behind.
 
The specific objectives of the session are to:
  • reaffirm our commitment to the Fundamental Principle of Humanity
  • explore ways to reinforce the complementarity of our respective mandates and collective accountability in – fulfilling our humanitarian mission in line with the Statutes of the Movement
  • serve as a space for transparent and constructive discussion on the faithful implementation of the Statutes of the – Movement and the Seville Agreement 2.0 to maximize the collective impact of the Movement, building on positive examples and progress made since the last Council of Delegates (CoD).

This spotlight session will explore the opportunity offered by the treaty on the protection of persons in the event of disasters to strengthen the Movement’s role in protecting people before, during and after disasters. Bringing together perspectives from across the Movement, it will reaffirm our commitments to disaster risk reduction, the protection of persons, effective international relief, principled humanitarian action and the preservation of the coherence and integrity of IHL in areas where armed conflict and disasters coexist. The session will examine the treaty’s relevance and the opportunities it presents for National Societies in their role as auxiliaries to the public authorities in the humanitarian field, exploring how they can leverage it in practice. It will also discuss the IFRC’s potential role in advancing the implementation of the treaty.
 
The specific objectives of the session are to:
  • highlight the importance of the treaty for National Societies and the opportunities it presents to engage with public authorities throughout the forthcoming negotiation process
  • reaffirm the Movement’s commitment to the protection of persons, disaster risk reduction and management, humanitarian access and the effective facilitation of international disaster relief
  • equip National Societies to engage and influence their governments before and throughout the treaty negotiations, leveraging their auxiliary role and humanitarian expertise
  • clarify the intersection between the treaty and IHL in complex emergencies
  • explore and further define the potential role of the IFRC and National Societies in supporting the implementation of the treaty..

Current conflicts are significantly increasing risks for humanitarian personnel, including through direct targeting, intimidation, arrests and detention, harmful information and the use of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, autonomous weapon systems and drones. In this evolving context, the spotlight session will explore available levers to enhance the protection of Movement staff and volunteers, including a strengthened Safer Access Framework, improved domestic legal frameworks, intensified awareness-raising efforts and reinforced dialogue with relevant authorities.
 
Based on a shared overview of how these trends are impacting the delivery of humanitarian aid and how emerging risks and consequences are affecting Movement staff and volunteers, the specific objectives of the session are to:
  • identify good practices, looking at what National Societies, the ICRC and the IFRC are already doing to prevent, navigate or mitigate these risks, what existing practices, tools or commitments could be leveraged further and where significant gaps remain, including at the domestic level
  • define areas requiring greater attention and further work across the Movement, including priorities for stronger and more consistent collective action, as well as actions by each Movement component to strengthen the protection of staff and volunteers
  • define concrete priority areas to be taken forward in the period leading up to the 2028 International Conference.

 

This spotlight session will examine how the Movement can strengthen collective preparedness and readiness for crises, including armed conflict, climate-related disasters, geohazards, epidemics and pandemics, and population movements. It will highlight complementary mandates and the central role of National Societies and explore how aligned, all-hazards preparedness can enhance operational readiness, ensuring the Movement remains relevant, credible and impactful in a rapidly evolving and increasingly complex global risk environment. It will also aim to identify concrete actions to be implemented.
 
The specific objectives of the session are to:
  • reaffirm the Movement’s commitment to strengthening collective preparedness and readiness across all hazards, including armed conflict, to ensure timely, principled and effective humanitarian action
  • highlight the central role of National Societies in their auxiliary role and the importance of their local presence and volunteer networks in delivering effective and sustainable preparedness
  • reflect on how the complementary mandates and roles of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and National Societies can be better aligned to strengthen preparedness, readiness and response.
 

Today, IHL is being tested. The International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (International Conference) reaffirmed in 2019 and 2024 that IHL remains as relevant today as ever in alleviating human suffering in contemporary armed conflicts. However, it expressed deep concern about the discrepancy between universal commitment to IHL and the insufficient respect for its rules. As the global landscape evolves, the challenges facing IHL are becoming more complex and far-reaching. It is therefore a pivotal moment for the components of the Movement to adopt a more intentional approach to IHL, harnessing strengths and working together, in accordance with our respective mandates and roles, in a more coordinated manner, to build a universal culture of compliance. An IHL roadmap will serve to strengthen the Movement’s collective impact through a long-term strategic approach.
 
The IHL roadmap will bring together all Movement components to strengthen a collective vision that will guide our work on IHL, in accordance with our respective mandates and roles. The development of the IHL roadmap is envisaged as a two-year process. It follows the preparatory work of the IHL Roadmap Working Group, comprising 23 National Societies, the ICRC and the IFRC, over the course of 2026, and will build on the outcomes of the spotlight session. This timeline will allow for inclusive engagement, the consolidation of inputs and the establishment of a shared framework based on common priorities and our respective roles and mandates.
 
The overall aim of the spotlight session is to foster an interactive dialogue and to provide a space for sharing challenges and lessons learned and for identifying opportunities for greater collaboration and engagement, including through existing peer networks and other initiatives.
 
The specific objectives of the session are to:
  • foster an active and meaningful dialogue on how Movement components can work more effectively together to promote, disseminate and support the implementation of IHL
  • share a baseline, good practices, challenges and lessons learned and identify opportunities to strengthen collective and complementary action
  • lay the groundwork to co-design an IHL roadmap to be presented at the 2028 CoD.

 
Leaders from National Societies and the ICRC will brief participants at the CoD spotlight session on the plan to develop an IHL roadmap for the Movement. They will present the vision and strategic objectives, drawing on extensive preparatory work, including consultations with National Societies from across the globe.

This spotlight session will explore how the Movement can enhance its agility, interoperability and collective efficiency in an era of growing humanitarian needs and increasingly constrained resources. Using supply chain management as a practical example, the session will examine how greater collaboration, shared services, common standards and enhanced visibility of collective capacities can reduce duplication, optimize the use of resources and strengthen the Movement’s collective impact. The discussion will focus on how successful interoperability initiatives can be scaled and replicated across the Movement to support a more agile, connected and future-ready humanitarian network.
 
The specific objectives of the session are to:
  • explore how greater interoperability and agility can contribute to increased collective efficiency and impact across the Movement in a resource-constrained environment
  • examine practical examples of supply chain interoperability and shared services that demonstrate measurable gains in efficiency, preparedness and operational effectiveness
  • identify enabling factors, barriers and opportunities for scaling successful interoperability models across the Movement
  • promote a stronger culture of collaboration, transparency and collective stewardship of Movement resources, capacities and services.

  • Key questions to be considered in the session

    • What measurable gains in collective efficiency, preparedness and impact have been achieved through common standards, shared visibility of Movement-wide resources and shared logistics services? What made these successes possible?
    • What are the main enablers of and barriers to scaling interoperability models across the Movement, including the governance required to reduce duplication? How can the capacities, expertise and resources of National Societies and private-sector partners be leveraged to strengthen collective operational capacity?
    • What collective commitments should the Movement make to scale successful interoperability models and strengthen collective efficiency in the coming years?

  • Supporting resources