© P

edra

m Y

azdi

/ IC

RC

MAKE HOPE YOUR LEGACY NAME THE ICRC IN YOUR WILL

I would like to thank you for the interest you have shown in the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

By naming the ICRC in your will, you are making a priceless gesture that links your name to the history of the largest humanitarian movement in the world.

In this way, your support for the values of solidarity and sharing will live on after you.

For more than 150 years, the ICRC’shistory has been inextricably linked withthat of the millions of victims of armed conflict who have benefited from our protection and help.

Our exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict, and to come to their aid. As the promoter and guardian of international humanitarian law, we carry out our work worldwide, and are respected and recognized by the entire international community.

Our history is also tied up with that of donors like you, who support our values and want to help us carry out our mission. Your generosity will help to guarantee that we remain effective and independent.

The ICRC’s efforts are often the onlyhope for people in distress. You canmake sure their hopes have not been in vain by making a bequest.

On behalf of all those we help, I offer you my heartfelt thanks.

Yves DaccordDirector-General

MAKE YOUR HUMANITARIAN COMMITMENT LIVE ON

2

© T

hier

ry G

assm

ann

/ ICR

C

When I look back, I realize how fortunate I’ve been. I was born in a country where life is good, into a loving family who were always there for me. My husband and I were successful and my daughter has also done very well for herself.

Now my husband is no longer with us, I want to think about the future. Not just my future and that of my daughter, but also the future of all those who have not been so fortunate: families driven from their homes by conflict or disaster; families who cannot afford health care; and families who do not even have enough to eat.

It is for all those families in distress that I have decided to bequeath to the ICRC the small apartment that I rented out to top up my pension. My daughter is completely behind me. I am happy to know that, when I’m no longer around, some of the good fortune that I have enjoyed will be shared with people in need through the ICRC’s work.

Christine D.

3

“I AM HAPPY TO KNOW THAT, WHEN I’M NO LONGER AROUND, SOME OF THE GOOD FORTUNE THAT I HAVE ENJOYED WILL BE SHARED WITH PEOPLE IN NEED.”

Names and identifying details have been changed to protect this donor’s anonymity. These paragraphs are based on what was written in her will.

© F

otol

ia

© S

.N. /

ICRC

© N

ick

Dan

zige

r / IC

RC

Our five founding members First World War

Vietnam War Wars in the former Yugoslavia

1863

1964-1975

1914-1918

1991-2001

4

Promoter and guardian of international humanitarian law.

The ICRC was founded in 1863 on thebasis of Henry Dunant’s ideas. Fromthe beginning, we asserted our role aspromoter and guardian of internationalhumanitarian law. Until then, woundedsoldiers had been left untended onthe battlefield; the ICRC set out toimprove the fate of victims of war. Over the following decades, we werethe driving force behind the adoptionof the four Geneva Conventionsand other international agreements,

which stepped up protection for thewounded and sick, prisoners of warand civilians, and banned certainweapons.

The largest humanitarian movement in the world.

As part of our mandate under the Geneva Conventions, the ICRC works alongside the 189 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to alleviate suffering and safeguard human life and dignity, particularly in armed conflicts and other emergencies. Thanks to the support of millions of volunteers and the generosity of our donors, our movement is the largest humanitariannetwork in the world.

THANKS TO DONORS LIKE YOU , THE ICRC HAS BEEN PROVIDING EMERGENCYHUMANITARIAN AID FOR OVER 150 YEARS .

© IC

RC

© IC

RC

© M

.R. G

ouy

/ ICR

C

© T

hier

ry G

assm

ann

/ ICR

C

© H

agop

Van

esia

n / I

CRC

Second World War

Syrian civil warIraq War

1939-1945

2003

1948

2013

Palestine

5

The ICRC strives to:

meet people’s basic needs by providing water, food and shelter;

provide emergency medical care and restore health-care services;

ensure that civilians are spared and protected; assist families who are separated by circumstances; visit and protect people deprived of their liberty; promote and develop international humanitarian law.

“IN AN AGE WHEN WE HEAR SO MUCH OF PROGRESS AND CIVILIZATION, IS IT NOT A MATTER OF URGENCY, SINCE UNHAPPILY WE CANNOT ALWAYS AVOID WARS, TO PRESS FORWARD IN A HUMAN AND TRULY CIVILIZED SPIRIT THE ATTEMPT TO PREVENT, OR AT LEAST TO ALLEVIATE, THE HORRORS OF WAR?”

Henry Dunant Founder of the ICRC and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1901A Memory of Solferino, 1862

© IC

RC

YOU CAN BE A PART OF OUR HISTORY TOO.

The ICRC is offering you the chance to get involved in its work and have a real impact on the fate of people affected by armed conflict.

Every year, we provide medical and surgical care to millions of wounded and sick people, and humanitarian aid to millions of displaced people to meet their basic needs.

Food crisis in Somalia:In response to the wave of displaced people and the high death rate in Somalia, which was severely hit by the major food crisis in 2011, we launched a massive relief operation. Since then, the food-security situation has improved markedly. Nevertheless, needs remain acute. In 2011, we came to the aid of almost 2.5 million people in Somalia.

Every year, we visit andassist more than half a milliondetainees, enable almost 7 millionpeople to access essential healthcare, and vaccinate almost1.5 million children underthe age of five.

Struggling medical centres in northern Mali:“In these semi-desert rural areas, economic activities have ground to a complete halt. Tens of thousands of people – both those displaced and the local residents – are suffering shortages of food and essential household and hygiene items, not to mention a lack of health care,” says Jean-Nicolas, head of the ICRC regional delegation for Mali and Niger. In addition to supporting the hospital in Gao and the referral medical centre in Assongo, we are also planning to resume our support for nine community medical centres: five between Timbuktu and Gao, and the other four on the route between Gao and Kidal.

6

IN THE THICK OF HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCIES.

©

Bor

is H

EGER

/ IC

RC

Every year, we restore access to clean water and sanitation for more than 20 million people affected by armed conflict and other forms of violence.

Nyiragongo volcano region, Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The region was ravaged by a volcanic eruption in 2002: Only one third of the residents of Goma have access to running water. The rest of the population has no choice but to collect water on a daily basis from Lake Kivu or to resort to private water trucks. We work to repair the water supply network in Goma, build new pumping stations, and lay new water pipelines throughout the city.

Hundreds of thousands of people separated from their loved ones by conflict turn to us to find their relatives.

Restoring family links:Like many others, Samuel was forced to flee his village in the post-election chaos in Côte d’Ivoire. He became separated from his parents and spent seven months alone in a refugee camp in Guinea. Today, thanks to the photos circulated by the ICRC, Samuel has been reunited with his family. “My son has been returned to us. I’m overjoyed!” exclaims his mother.

7

THE ICRC IS PRESENT IN 80 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND HELPS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.

©

Bor

is H

EGER

/ IC

RC

© D

omin

ic S

anso

ni /

ICRC

8

How important are bequests for the ICRC’s activities?

Very. Most people do not specify how they wish their bequest to be spent. This mark of trust means we have funds available to provide emergency aid immediately.

In early 2013, for instance, a single bequest enabled us to finance 25% of our relief operations in the south Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Bopha.

Bequests are also used to finance relief and protection operations in forgotten conflicts. For example, in 2012, 86% of the bequests received were allocated to activities in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, where we are working to tackle the consequences of past conflicts and of the current situation in the North Caucasus.

The ICRC undertakes to advise you, respect your wishes and ensure that your memory lives on.

A personal adviser is on hand to guide you through the various stages of the process.

By making a bequest, you will enjoy the recognition and benefits granted to our donors, including:

Access to special information Separate meetings with ICRC

representatives Invitations to special events for donors

To receive advice that is tailored to you, please get in touch with our bequests

and donations manager:

Marie-Jo Girod-Blanc Tel: +41 22 730 33 76 E-mail: mgirodblanc@icrc.org

There is no obligation, and all information will be treated in the strictest confidence.

© C

atal

ina

MA

RTIN

-CH

ICO

/ IC

RC

MAKE A BEQUEST AND THEHUMANITARIAN VALUES YOUBELIEVE IN WILL LIVE ON.

9

In your will, you can bequeath any kind of asset, such as:

Money: This is what most people choose to bequeath.

Gifts in kind: Real estate, jewels, works of art, furniture,

collections, etc.

Securities: Shares, bonds, etc.

Other assets: Patents, royalties, etc.

The ICRC is exempt from paying inheritance tax on bequests in most Swiss cantons. This is also the case in Germany, France and the United States. To find out about other countries, or for any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Specific bequest: You bequeath one or more items. It is important to mention the specific item(s) bequeathed to the ICRC.

Residuary bequest: You leave the rest of your estate to the

ICRC after other specific bequests and costs have been paid.

Reversionary bequest: You provide for a share of your estate to

go to the ICRC if the heir named in your will passes away before inheriting, after other specific bequests and costs have been paid.

WHAT KIND OF BEQUEST SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

WHAT CAN YOU BEQUEATH TO THE ICRC?

TAX EXEMPTION

© C

atal

ina

MA

RTIN

-CH

ICO

/ IC

RC

© B

oris

Heg

er /

ICRC

10

In order to make a bequest, you must make a will stipulating your final wishes. You can revoke or change it at any time.

Holographic will: Written entirely in your own hand,

this is the simplest kind of will.

Notarial will: Drawn up in the presence of two

witnesses and before a notary or any other person empowered to do so, this document guarantees that your will complies with the law. If you opt for a holographic will, you should take some precautions to ensure that your final wishes are respected.

Write your will by hand.

Write your full name, date of birth and address, as well as the names and addresses of people and orga-nizations to whom you are leaving bequests.

For the ICRC, please put:

International Committee of the Red Cross19 Avenue de la Paix1202 GenevaSwitzerland.

Specify the kind of bequest and the item(s) bequeathed.

Indicate the location and date, then sign the will.

WHY MAKE A WILL? HOW TO WRITE YOUR OWN WILL

WHAT KIND OF WILL SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

© K

ate

Hol

t / IC

RC

PLEASE CONTACT US. WE’LL BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.

11

SAMPLE WILL*

© IC

RC

*Names and identifying details have been changed to protect anonymity.

Marie-Jo Girod-BlancBequests and Donations ManagerTel: +41 22 730 33 76E-mail: mgirodblanc@icrc.org

“I am always very touched by the solidarity and generosity of people who wish to make a bequest to the ICRC. I am keen to hear from each and every one of you, to answer your questions and, if you wish, to guide you through the process.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch; I look forward to hearing from you.”

International Committee of the Red Cross

Private Sector Fundraising Division

19 Avenue de la Paix

1202 Geneva

Switzerland.

www.icrc.org/legacy

THE ICRC WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU

© M

arko

Kok

ic/ I

CRC

© P

hoto

Cre

dits

: Fot

olia