INTERSOS

INTERSOS
Name	INTERSOS
Founded	1992
Founder	Francesco Caruso
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Rome, Italy
Area served	International
Focus	Humanitarian assistance, protection, emergency relief

INTERSOS INTERSOS is an international humanitarian organization founded in 1992 that provides emergency relief, protection, and assistance to populations affected by armed conflict, natural disasters, and displacement. The organization operates in complex contexts alongside actors such as United Nations, European Union, International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and national authorities, coordinating responses with agencies including Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children, Oxfam, and CARE International. INTERSOS works in regions impacted by crises linked to events like the Syrian Civil War, South Sudanese Civil War, Haiti earthquake, and the Rwandan genocide, engaging with frameworks such as the Geneva Conventions, the Cluster Approach (humanitarian), and the Sphere Project.

History

INTERSOS was established by aid workers and activists in Rome in response to humanitarian crises of the early 1990s, amid conflicts including the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the First Chechen War, and interventions in Somalia and Rwanda. Early operations expanded through coordination with entities such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Organization for Migration, and national civil protection agencies like Italy’s Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Over time INTERSOS developed programs reflecting lessons from major humanitarian responses such as those to the Great Lakes refugee crisis, the Balkan wars, and the humanitarian aftermath of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Mission and Activities

INTERSOS’s stated mission centers on protecting civilians, delivering humanitarian aid, and supporting displaced populations in line with international norms exemplified by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and instruments like the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Core activities include emergency medical assistance in collaboration with providers such as World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders, food security interventions with links to World Food Programme, shelter and non-food items coordinated with UNICEF, and protection programs referencing standards from International Rescue Committee and Norwegian Refugee Council. The organization also engages in advocacy with institutions such as the European Parliament and national ministries of foreign affairs, and trains staff on humanitarian principles promoted by ICRC and Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Geographic Operations

INTERSOS has operated across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. African missions have included responses in Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, and Nigeria, often intersecting with crises connected to groups like Lord's Resistance Army and Boko Haram. In the Middle East and Asia, interventions have addressed the impacts of the Syrian Civil War, humanitarian needs in Iraq, displacement in Afghanistan, and the Rohingya crisis affecting Myanmar and Bangladesh. European engagements have involved refugee assistance during peaks associated with the European migrant crisis and cooperation with agencies in Greece and Italy. Latin American activities have responded to disasters linked to events such as the Haiti earthquake and migration flows through Venezuela and Colombia.

Organizational Structure

INTERSOS’s governance includes a board of directors, executive leadership, international field offices, and country delegations that coordinate with regional hubs and operations centers similar to arrangements used by United Nations Development Programme and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Staff composition mixes international expatriates and national personnel, with roles in logistics, program management, protection, medical services, and monitoring and evaluation, drawing on expertise comparable to that of OXFAM, CARE International, and Mercy Corps. The organization engages legal counsel and compliance functions to align with frameworks such as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty and partner-specific due diligence like that required by the European Commission.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding for INTERSOS originates from a mix of bilateral donors, multilateral agencies, private foundations, corporate partners, and public donations, working with funders such as the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office, United States Agency for International Development, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, and philanthropic bodies akin to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Partnerships include coordination with United Nations agencies, national ministries of foreign affairs, and non-governmental networks like the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action and Sphere Project signatories. INTERSOS also collaborates with academic institutions and think tanks, engaging research from entities like Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and Chatham House.

Notable Interventions and Emergencies

Notable responses by INTERSOS have included emergency medical and protection programs during the Syrian Civil War, rapid deployments following the Haiti earthquake and the Indian Ocean tsunami, humanitarian assistance in South Sudan during famine and conflict, and responses to displacement crises linked to the Democratic Republic of the Congo conflicts and the Rwandan genocide aftermath. The organization has implemented programs in complex security environments comparable to those conducted by Médecins Sans Frontières and International Rescue Committee and coordinated large-scale relief operations in partnership with agencies such as World Food Programme and UNHCR.

Accountability and Evaluations

INTERSOS subjects programs to internal audits, external evaluations, and donor reporting requirements similar to standards applied by United Nations Office for Project Services, Office of Inspector General (United States Department of State), and European audit mechanisms. Monitoring and evaluation draw on methodologies from organizations like ALNAP and the International Development Evaluation Association, emphasizing transparency, beneficiary feedback mechanisms, and adherence to humanitarian standards such as the Sphere Project and the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability.

Category:Humanitarian aid organizations