


The International Committee for Assistance to the Wounded was established in Geneva on February 17, 1863. Later it was renamed the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 1867, the Society for the Care of the Wounded and Sick Patrons was established in St. Petersburg. In 1879, it was renamed the "Russian Red Cross Society" (RRCS). From the same time in the territory of Kazakhstan, the Regional Organization of the RRCS worked. In connection with the formation of the Kazakh SSR in 1936, on March 5, 1937, the Red Cross Society of the Kazakh SSR was established.
With the dissolution of the USSR and the independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Red Cross Society of the Kazakh SSR was transformed into the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Since April 17, 1992 the Society is guided by the decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the activities of the Kazakh Red Crescent Society and the Red Cross". According to this decree, the Society was recognized and authorized by Article 26 of the First Geneva Convention of 1949 to render assistance to the regular medical services of the armed forces during the period of armed conflict. Based on the Regulations on the Society approved by the above-mentioned Decree, the Society may also:
- assist local authorities in the humanitarian sphere, since it has as its main goal the prevention and alleviation of human suffering, regardless of nationality, gender, religious or political views;
- in peacetime, prepare for actions defined by the Geneva Conventions;
- organize programs and emergency services for victims of natural disasters, participate in the organization of international programs of such assistance;
- contribute to the improvement of public health, by training volunteers and involving them in practical work;
- participate in social support of low-income strata of the population;
- propagate the ideals of the International Movement of the RC and RC, international humanitarian law, in order to educate the population of the ideals of peace, mutual respect and understanding among all people.
On 31 March 1993, the Republic of Kazakhstan acceded to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 on the Protection of War Victims and to the two Additional Protocols to them of 1977.
In 1993, the Society was renamed the Red Crescent and Red Cross Society of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In March 2002, the Society officially adopts the new name "Red Crescent Society of the Republic of Kazakhstan" and the emblem of the Red Crescent (in connection with the adoption of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the Emblem and Distinctive Sign of the Medical Service of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan" in December 2001)
In November 2003, the Red Crescent Society of the Republic of Kazakhstan was recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross and became a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.