An
aid agency is an organisation dedicated to distributing
aid. Many professional aid organisations exist, both within government (e.g.
AusAID,
USAID,
DFID,
EuropeAid,
ECHO), between governments as multilateral donors (e.g.
UNDP) and as private voluntary organizations or non-governmental organisations, (e.g.
ActionAid,
Ducere Foundation,
Oxfam,
World Vision). The
International Committee of the Red Cross is the world’s oldest humanitarian organisation and is unique in being mandated by international treaty to uphold the
Geneva Conventions.