Our Values and Principles

We are an international, independent medical humanitarian organisation.

We help people affected by conflicts, epidemics, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises who have no access to medical care.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was founded in Paris in 1971 by a group of journalists and doctors. They wanted to help people in need - neutrally, independently and impartially. At the same time, they wanted to report on the suffering they had seen. Today, we are a worldwide movement with around 68,000 employees, including health professionals, logistic and administrative staff.

We are a private, international organisation. All employees are committed to the following principles:

• MSF helps people in need, those affected by natural or man-made disasters and armed conflicts, without discrimination and regardless of their ethnic origin, religious or political beliefs.
• In the name of universal medical ethics and the right to humanitarian aid, MSF works neutrally and impartially and demands complete and unhindered freedom in the exercise of its activities.
• Our employees undertake to respect the ethical principles of their profession and to maintain complete independence from any political, economic or religious power. They are aware of the risks and dangers of their assignments. They waive the right to claim compensation for themselves and their families, except for that which MSF is able to provide. 

We offer help to the people who need it. It doesn't matter which country they come from, which religion they belong to or which political party they belong to. We prioritise those who are in the greatest and most immediate danger.

Our decision to provide aid is based on our assessment of the medical need - independent of political, economic or religious interests. Our independence is based on our funding: 97 percent of our funds come from private donors. Our independence allows us to decide for ourselves where, when and how we provide aid. 

We do not take sides in armed conflicts and do not support the agenda of warring parties. We are active where people need us, often on both sides of a conflict or war. It is not unusual for soldiers from opposing parties to lie side by side in our hospitals. We can only help people if we are respected by all sides in a conflict. 

Neutrality does not mean silence. Our proximity to people in need brings with it the obligation to draw attention to their plight in order to ultimately help improve their situation. 

We take responsibility for being accountable to our patients and donors for our actions and for making our decisions transparent.

Evaluations, critical reviews and discussions about our work on the ground, our positioning in the public sphere and about general humanitarian issues are necessary to improve our work.