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 20 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.
