Every day, in many situations of armed conflict throughout the world, men, women and children are exposed to extreme violence.

The proliferation of increasingly undisciplined armed groups has considerably heightened the risks for humanitarian workers. The respect to which they are entitled has been eroded in recent years while the need for humanitarian aid has grown.

If, despite these many obstacles, conflict victims are to receive the protection and assistance they need, it is essential to ensure that humanitarian personnel are well prepared and professionally trained for their task. Human resources are the foundation on which every operation rests, and for the ICRC as for any other organization, training is a vital investment.

So as to better meet the new challenges, the ICRC decided to bring its training facilities together at Ecogia, near Versoix, an ideal location for carrying out programmes designed to offer realistic simulations of problem situations.

Ecogia is also a place where humanitarian organizations may come and share the experience they have acquired in their specific areas of concern.