A) Objectives of the pledge:
The Fundamental Principles – especially humanity and impartiality – and the Statutes of the Movement, carry the obligation for members of the IFRC network to strive for a world in which everyone’s needs are met and their rights are respected, protected and fulfilled: everyone is treated fairly and with dignity, everyone has equal access to opportunities, everyone can participate in making decisions for themselves and their communities, everyone’s voices are heard, and everyone is safe from harm.
To ensure that the Red Cross Red Crescent Network is safe, inclusive, and fit for purpose, the movement´s entities must advance its commitment to developing and effectively implementing the necessary policies, strategies, and procedures. The Network ‘s systems must actively address discrimination, exclusion and any form of harm, and reinforce its commitment to the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, emphasising the inherent principles of do no harm and non-discrimination.
To ensure a principled approach to humanitarian work, we pledge to make consistent efforts and allocate sufficient resources to assess and strengthen our organizational capacity, composition, and commitment to address violence, discrimination and exclusion. We pledge to do this through comprehensive organizational assessments focused on protection, gender, and inclusion followed by actions to address identified institutional challenges and risks.
B) Action plan:
1. Increased Awareness and Capacity
– Prioritize ongoing education and training for leaders, staff and volunteers on protection, gender and inclusion principles and practices, emphasising the relevance of PGI in adhering to the Movement Fundamental Principles and to offer better and quality programming
– Implement training for staff and volunteers at all levels that demonstrate how to put the principles of do-no-harm and non-discrimination into action
2. Conduct Assessments:
– Allocate sufficient resources, including time and talent to support comprehensive organizational assessment exercises
– Seek and offer support to other Movement actors to conduct Organizational Assessments focused on PGI (using “IFRC PGI Organizational Assessment Toolkit” or equivalent) to ensure contextualized and Movement relevant exercises
– Create safe spaces for discussion and ensure that people participating in assessment processes are supported to share their opinions and experiences freely
3. Address Findings and Evaluate Results:
– Develop feasible and realistic action plans based on assessment outcomes accompanied by monitoring frameworks to regularly evaluate results and impact
– Embed institutional PGI efforts into National Society Development (NSD) strategies and plans
– Ensure gender and diversity, social inclusion, and safeguarding considerations are integrated into all organizational processes and policies
4. Mobilize Resources:
– Establish partnerships with local and international stakeholders to secure financial, technical, and human resources
C) Indicators for measuring progress:
1. Awareness and Training:
– Number of leaders, staff and volunteers trained on protection, gender and inclusion principles and practices
2. Assessment Completion:
– Number of National Societies that have completed the protection, gender, and inclusion organisational assessments.
3. Implementation Rate:
– Number of NSs with actionable plans based on assessment outcomes accompanied by monitoring frameworks to regularly evaluate results and impact
– Number of National Societies implementing the recommendations from the assessments.
– Number of new or revised policies and practices that reflect inclusivity and safeguarding principles.
4. Resource Mobilization:
– Amount of resources allocated or secured through partnerships and funding initiatives
D) Resource implications:
1. Financial Resources:
– Budget allocation or fundraising efforts for training, assessments, and implementation of recommendations.
2. Human Resources:
– Dedicated teams within National Societies for assessment and implementation tasks.
– Expert consultants and trainers to provide specialized knowledge and skills.
3. Technical Resources:
– Standardized assessment tools tailored to protection, gender and inclusion.
– Digital tools and platforms for conducting and monitoring assessments.
– Access to research and data analysis tools to inform decision-making.
By committing to this pledge, we acknowledge the crucial role of protection, gender, and inclusion in building effective National Societies. Together, we can ensure that we are safe and inclusive organisations, aligned with the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, ultimately serving our communities better.
