Global Independent Board of Appeal (GIBA)

The Global Independent Board of Appeal (GIBA) is an internal review mechanism offered by the ICRC to all employees, which allows them to challenge dismissals and disciplinary measures if they believe that such decisions are in breach of internal rules and regulations, constitute an unjustified unequal treatment, or are arbitrary.

The GIBA is composed of a permanent Secretariat and headed by a Chair and Vice-Chair(s) who will manage individual cases with the support of a network of GIBA Peers made up of voluntary employees selected worldwide.

What decisions are subject to appeal before the GIBA?

Appeals can only be made against a decision that is final and has been notified to the staff member in writing. Appealable decisions are dismissals and disciplinary measures as defined in the GIBA Rules of procedure, subject to the following exceptions:

1. First-level sanctions as defined in the Rules of procedure shall not be appealed before the GIBA. Those sanctions can be appealed against through a hierarchical appeal;
2. Appeals against termination of contract notified in the context of a collective redundancy may not be appealed before the GIBA.

How to submit an appeal?

Any eligible staff member may appeal against a decision by completing an Appeal Form and submitting it, along with its supporting documents, to the GIBA within the deadline set out in the Rules of procedure.

For the appeal to be admissible, the appeal form and all supporting documents must be received by the GIBA Secretariat within 30 calendar days following the notification of the impugned decision to the appellant.

If the appellant has no access to electronic means, he/she may submit the complete Appeal Form and all supporting documents in hard copies to the GIBA Secretariat.

Format and means of submissions

The appellant must file his/her appeal in either English or French. The supporting documents may be submitted in their original languages. All written submissions, together with supporting documents, must be submitted to the GIBA Secretariat through one of the following means:

• a. Using the GIBA online portal.
• b. By email: giba@icrc.org
• c. By registered mail with the visible label "Confidential" addressed to:

• d. In-person at the address of the GIBA Secretariat.