They celebrate what makes them feel like a family: a common understanding of humanity and the will to alleviate suffering. During a torch-lit procession of nine kilometers, they follow the footsteps of those who brought injured soldiers from the battlefield to the first medical outpost in the nearby village of Castiglione. The battle took place on 24 June 1859. More than 160 years later, this humanitarian drive lives within millions of people.

Clothing, food, tobacco, glasses or medicine have always been items of great value for the prisoners. With the support of the Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies, the ICRC packaged these items and delivered millions of parcels to detention camps on all sides as soon as World War I. But for prisoners of war, informing their families that they are still alive, and sharing news with them during their captivity is what matters most. The ICRC organized this massive exchange of letters from as early as 1870 (French-Prussian war).

The Nigeria–Biafra operation was the largest the ICRC had carried out since 1945. It pushed the organization to professionalize its activities, streamline its decision-making processes and think bigger. But after one of its plane was shot down, the ICRC was forced to end the airlift. Some time after the end of this operation, a handful of ICRC delegates who disagreed with the organization neutral stance in the conflict created Médecins Sans Frontières, opening a new chapter in modern humanitarian history.

Relatives of the more than 21,000 people who went missing during the violence that ravaged Peru during the 1980’s and 1990’s are still looking for their loved ones. Worldwide, families of missing might visit government offices and institutions, scour prisons, battlefields, hospitals and morgues. They scrutinize the bodies of the dead looking for familiar traits, or personal belongings from recovered human remains. Many continue searching until they find answers. Calling off the search before then would be like abandoning the missing person for good.

But the ordeal of the population in the region is not new and dates back 1983 when civil war broke out. To respond to the needs, the ICRC ran during two decades the Lokichokio hospital in northern Kenya, at one point the largest field medical structure in the world with a peak capacity of 700 beds. It treated tens of thousands of Sudanese patients, approximately 95% of whom arrived at the hospital by air. The ICRC handed over the structure to the Kenyan authorities in May 2006. The medical staff there had cared for nearly 38,000 patients and performed over 60,000 surgical operations over 19 years. This ICRC action may very well have been the largest and longest non-military cross-border air evacuation of casualties in history.

The breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s triggered bitter ethnic fights between population groups scattered in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and, some years later, Kosovo. The massive disrespect for basic rules of war meant that the civilian population on all sides paid a heavy price, at the very heart of Europe. For years, the international community was unable to prevent forced deportations and disappearances, cruel treatment and other blatant crimes. It was a challenging time for the people, as well as the humanitarian organizations that had a limited impact in such a polarized environment.

Being a neutral intermediary enables civilians to cross frontlines or to be supplied across frontlines with the goods needed for their survival. It helps exchange prisoners, evacuate trapped civilians, and bring news to separated loved ones… In the course of our history, we’ve been asked to take sides. But the only side we take is the side of humanity. An increasingly polarized world is making our approach if anything more necessary than ever.

It is those who carry weapons who can kill – and be killed. It is also they who can facilitate or hinder humanitarian action. Since the beginning of its presence on battlefields, the ICRC maintains a dialogue with all weapon bearers, State and non-State, as part of our mandate to protect and assist people affected by war and other forms of violence. Keeping communication channels open helps us explain our neutrality, access people in need through frontlines and obtain security guarantees for our staff. It is a cornerstone of our work as a neutral and impartial humanitarian actor.

It is estimated that 90% of the population is living under the poverty line, and more than 14 million people, out of 18 million, are still in need of humanitarian assistance. The extensive destruction and gradual deterioration of vital infrastructure – water, electricity and health care – are stretching the population’s ability to cope. The conflict in Syria started in 2011. The Arab Spring triggered a wave of conflicts – and humanitarian needs – in countries like Syria, Yemen and Libya.

Infrastructures essential to the survival of the civilian population are protected under international humanitarian law. Since the start of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the ICRC has regularly supported local authorities on all sides to ensure that power and water stations are up and running.