IGAD was created in 1996 to supersede the Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development(IGADD), which was founded in 1986. This followed the recurring and severe drought and other natural disasters between 1974 and 1984 that caused widespread famine, ecological degradation and economic hardship in the Eastern Africa region. Although individual countries made substantial efforts to cope with the situation and received generous support from the international community, the magnitude and extent of the problem argued strongly for a regional approach to supplement national efforts. In 1983 and 1984, six countries in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia,Sudan and Uganda) took action through the United Nations to establish an intergovernmental body to collectively combat drought and desertification in the region. The Assembly of Heads of State and Government met in January 1986 to sign the agreement that officially launched IGADD with headquarters in Djibouti. The State of Eritrea became the seventh member after attaining independence in 1993 and South Sudan joined in 2011. In April 1995 in Addis Ababa, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government made a declaration to revitalize IGADD and expand cooperation among Member States. On 21st March 1996 in Nairobi, the Assembly signed “Letter of Instrument to amend the IGADD Charter” establishing the revitalized regional organization with a new name, “Intergovernmental Authority on Development”. IGAD with expanded areas of regional cooperation and a new organizational structure was launched during the Summit of the Heads of State and Government on 25th November 1996 in Djibouti. Working with the Member States and the development partners to: Promote joint development strategies and gradually harmonize macro-economic policies and programmes in the social, technological and scientific fields; Harmonize policies with regard to trade, customs, transport, communications, agriculture, and natural resources, and promote free movement of goods, services, and people within the region; Create an enabling environment for foreign, cross-border and domestic trade and investment; Achieve regional food security, as well as encourage and assist efforts to collectively combat drought and other natural and man-made disasters and their natural consequences; Initiate and promote programmes and projects to achieve regional food security and sustainable development of natural resources and environmental protection; Develop and improve a coordinated and complementary infrastructure, in the areas of transport, telecommunications and energy in the region; Promote peace and stability, as well as create mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of inter-State and intra-State conflicts in the region through dialogue; Mobilize resources for the implementation of emergency, short-term, medium-term and long-term programmes within the framework of regional cooperation; Facilitate, promote and strengthen cooperation in research development and application in science and technology; and Promote and realize the objectives of the African Economic Community.

IDMC was set up in 1998 at the request of the international community to fill an important knowledge gap on the global scale and patterns of internal displacement.

Peace building

IBC, a young and dynamic NGO, was initiated by a handful of idealist businessmen, who wanted to provide input in improving the lives of the people suffering, especially the most disadvantaged section of the world population. The formation of IBC is based on the cooperation that had been established with the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) on April 1999 in Albania . Within the scope of this cooperation, bakery ovens had been set up in the refugee camps sheltering thousands of Kosovan in Albania and daily bread distribution program had been implemented for 3 months. Just after the NATO taking the control of Kosova, the program was expanded to support 64 local bakeries for production of bread in Ferizaj, Djakova, Pristina and Mitrovicha cities of Kosovo and t also continued the distribution of 300.000 loaves per day to the returnees. During the working period in Kosova, it has been acquainted with various international relief organizations and it had been witnessed to several successful activities.The insufficien quantity of similar organizations in Turkey was an incentive and encouragement to reach to the decision of a formation that would participate in domestic and international relief operations. Therefore by the inspiration of taking the crescent as a new rising and the blue as the color of peace and prosperity the decision to establish, International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation had been taken. The two devastating earthquakes that took place in Kocaeli on 17 August 1999 and in Düzce on 12 November 1999 caused a delay in the official procedures of foundation. On the other hand, the already gained experiences on relief activities and international solidarity relationships established during the Kosovo program that ended on January 2000, enabled the implementation of several relief activities as hot meal distribution in tent camps, medical equipment donations to hospitals even though not having an official foundation presence. The necessary official procedure had been started again in May 2000 and International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation was officially founded according to Turkish legislations with registration number 4820 on 8 November 2000. Since more than 13 years, IBC has been working to help in alleviating human sufferings, hunger, illiteracy among all people regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, color, social origin, religion, belief, language, political opinion, gender, age, and sexual orientation, genetic and physical features. With the aim and intention to increase its effectiveness internationally, IBC became a member of ICVA International Council of Voluntary Agencies having its headquarters in Geneva on April 2003. On the 13th General Assembly held on March 2006, IBC was elected to the Board of Directors of the organization. IBC has applied to UN Economic and Social Council to have Special Consultant Status in order to contribute to the work of ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies in cooperation with other NGOs. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and the United Nations system. "The Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations" of IBC has been approved on July 2006.

Established in 1863, the ICRC operates worldwide, helping people affected by conflict and armed violence and promoting the laws that protect victims of war. An independent and neutral organization, its mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We are based in Geneva, Switzerland, and employ some 14,500 people in more than 80 countries. The ICRC is funded mainly by voluntary donations from governments and from national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.