The Austrian National Red Cross Society
The Austrian Red Cross is recognised by the Austrian government and by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as the nation`s official Red Cross Society. The Austrian Red Cross has a federal structure, similar to the state structure, which branches into several agencies on regional, district, and local levels. It is a private, independent, and democratic organisation. Its programs are guided by non-profit philosophies and charitable ideals. It implements humanitarian activities in the private and public sectors with the help of volunteers and paid staff. The Austrian Red Cross' operations are guided by seven principles regarded by the Red Cross Movement as basic requirements for effective and sustainable programs. The organization strictly adheres to these policies to ensure coordinated and uniform strategies and operations. The organization is not influenced by political parties and/or churches.
The Structure of the Austrian Red Cross Society:
- The Austrian National Red Cross Society acts on national and international levels, coordinates all relevant activities, and controls foreign, national and supranational operations
- Nine Regional Branches: Corporate bodies with operational independence
- 141 District Branches: Regional subsidiaries that implement activities
- 704 Local branches
Legal base:
The Austrian Red Cross was founded and officially recognized in 1880. The most recent renewal of this recognition dates from the Red Cross protection law in 1962. The society joined the International Federation in 1921.
Regional and national bodies have been established as non-profit societies under Austrian law and act with legal and financial independence. The society statutes date from 1970 and were last revised in 1997.
Constituency:
The ARC is structured in a federal way covering all Austrian regions with its nine regional branches (one per Land), 141 districts (regional subdivisions) and more than 700 local branches. The nine regional branches are members of and form the national Red Cross society. Nationwide, there are about 48,700 active volunteers, 5,600 employees and more than 770,000 supporting members.
The governance board is made up of the ARC's president and the vice presidents, the presidents of the regional committees and the federal chairman of the youth Red Cross. It also includes other experts who only have consultative powers. The general assembly consists of the representatives of the regional committees and the members of the governance board.
