Coca-Cola, the world’s largest beverage company, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, have announced a global partnership to expand their collaboration.

Coca-Cola will invest $2 million to support the IFRC’s work in disaster response, preparedness and public engagement in communities that both organisations serve. Separately, The Coca-Cola Foundation will donate $1 million to the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund to provide immediate financial support to help Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies quickly respond to disasters around the world.

“Our partnership with The Coca-Cola Company has the potential of becoming one of the world’s leading business and civil-society collaborations,” said Bekele Geleta, Secretary General, IFRC.

“It will enable us to extend our reach even farther in communities worldwide so we can be of greater service to vulnerable people. In this era of increasing natural disasters, imagine the magnitude of what we can accomplish together in disaster response and preparedness.”

Together with Coca-Cola bottling partners, The Coca-Cola Company and the Red Cross Red Crescent already work together in over 50 countries. This new partnership, which employs the capabilities and expertise of local bottling partners, aims to increase collaboration between the Red Cross Red Crescent and the Coca-Cola System in even more areas around the world, and build on the foundation both partners have developed over nearly a century.

For example, immediately after the earthquake in Haiti last year, the Coca-Cola System joined the American and Mexican Red Cross to deliver on-the-ground relief and raise public awareness. In 2009, the Coca-Cola System supported the Italian Red Cross response to the Abruzzo earthquake by providing warehousing, trucks and in-kind supplies.

The Coca-Cola Company and the IFRC also aim to better engage the public in disaster response, preparedness and the ongoing development and disaster management activities of the Red Cross Red Crescent network.

For instance, since 2000 the Coca-Cola System in Spain has undertaken a series of innovative marketing communications campaigns to raise funds and awareness for the Spanish Red Cross. While since 2007, the Coca-Cola Company in Netherlands has run a Christmas radio promotion for the Red Cross to raise funds for response to the many ‘silent disasters’ (e.g. malaria and mining accidents).

“We are proud to partner with an organisation that is as effective and globally respected as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. The marriage of our respective skills and expertise will enable us to make a positive difference when we are needed.”