The international cooperation of the GRC comprises humanitarian assistance in crises, conflict and disaster situations, reconstruction and rehabilitation measures and long-term development cooperation. In the various phases and key areas of its international cooperation the GRC is following one overall objective: to strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable people and the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in such a way as the enable them to overcome acute emergencies and chronic stresses brought about by crises, violent conflicts or natural disasters and to recover quickly without compromising long-term developing prospects.

To achieve this, the GRC engages in particularly vulnerable countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Latin America in order to strengthen the resilience of particularly vulnerable population groups - people living in extreme poverty, women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

To strengthen the resilience of people, the German Red Cross addresses the central aspects of humanitarian assistance, transitional aid and development cooperation. The international cooperation of the GRC comprises the following key competences:

• Emergency relief in crises, conflict and disaster situations
• Provision of shelter and social infrastructure
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness
• Provision of health care, food, water, sanitation and hygiene
• Improvements of livelihoods
• Adaptation to climate change as a crosscutting issue.

The GRC is always cooperating closely with the National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in the respective countries and is supporting them to improve their own structures and resources (especially the volunteer networks, branch structures and staff capacities) and to maintain them in a sustainable manner.

The core of GRC's international cooperation is therefore the connection of short-, medium- and long-term measures for a sustained strengthening of local self-help capacities at various levels (local, regional, national) through an integrated approach which takes into consideration the complex factors of vulnerability.

The overall aim of the German Red Cross is to strengthen the resilience of the people who are most vulnerable and most at risk because of crises, conflict and disasters.  The GRC takes into account the complex factors of vulnerability and is not only focusing on strengthening the resilience of communities, but also the capacities of the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as important civil society stakeholders.