Guide to strengthening the auxiliary role through law and policy
Format
A. Background
In 192 countries around the world there is a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society established on the basis of a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Law (RC/RC Law). Although this Guide uses the term RC/RC Law, a country’s RC/RC Law may not necessarily be called a ‘law’, but instead may be titled a decree, order, regulation, charter or bill. Equally, a country may have a series of RC/RC Laws, with later laws supplementing or replacing earlier ones.
RC/RC Laws are to be distinguished from National Society Statutes, which are an internal legal document developed by a National Society to address matters such as its leadership, membership and organizational structure. In addition to its RC/RC Law and Statutes, a National Society’s legal base may include sectoral laws, meaning laws that relate to a specific sector of activity such as a Public Health Act or Disaster Risk Management Act.