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Intercountry Committees

Intercountry Committees bring together Rotarians, spouses of Rotarians and Rotaractors with a special interest in relations between two countries. They are at the disposal of clubs and districts to build peace and promote world understanding. They act as a support force for Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation to promote peace in our societies and understanding between peoples.

The Inter-Country Committees, with their simple and flexible structure have built bridges of friendship. They have extended Rotary's service and carried out far-reaching projects in Rotary's priority areas of action, particularly conflict prevention and resolution.

They contribute to Rotary's membership development by giving value to new generations and to the creation of new Rotary and Rotaract clubs. In line with Rotary International's Strategic Plan, IPCs provide important support to all Rotary International and Rotary Foundation programs.

Rotary District 1660 is the driving force behind several ICCs in France: ICC France Romania-Moldava, ICC France-Australie, and more recently ICC France-Mali. ICC France-Israel, created by another district, has been headed by District 1660 members for several years.

Several members of our club have been involved for several years in various IPCs, as well as in the Executive Council of Intercountry Committees, the international body that coordinates them.

A bit of history

It was at the Vienna International Convention in Austria in 1931 that past governors Otto Boelher (RC Vienne) and Georges Benardot (RC Paris) laid the foundations for the “petit comité franco allemand”, which ceased operations in 1937 when the Nazis banned German rotary clubs.

In 1950, a handful of German and French Rotarians gathered in Strasbourg, scarred by the war, to take up the challenge of finding a way out of the tragedy through intelligence. They created the first Committee with a single goal in mind: reconciliation between their two countries.

Since then, IPCs have helped Rotarians create a climate of friendship with clubs and districts from different cultures.

Today, Intercountry Committees have been established in many parts of the world, and there are some 400 of them. The presence of ICCs within Rotary International has become a vital force, reinforcing the organization's historic contribution to world peace.

To learn more about Intercountry Committees, visit the following websites: