Established in March 1978 as Qatar's first volunteering charitable organization, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) works to help and empower vulnerable individuals and communities without partiality or discrimination. QRCS is an active member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which comprises the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and a network of National Societies in 190 countries. It is also a member of several regional and Islamic organizations, including the Islamic Committee of the International Crescent (ICIC) and the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO).

QRCS has a principal mandate of providing a wide range of relief and development services, both locally and internationally, capitalizing on its resourceful and specialist staff and volunteers. Throughout its long history, QRCS has been serving as an auxiliary to the State of Qatar in its humanitarian efforts, in light of its central mission of improving the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity inside and outside of Qatar. In all of this, QRCS is inspired by the fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.