Young Swiss businessman, Jean Henry Dunant was appalled by the
condition of the wounded he happened to see in the battle field of Solferino, Italy
in 1859 during the Franco - Austrian war. He immediately arranged relief services
with the help of the local community. Based on this experience, he wrote the book
'Memory of Solferino' suggesting that a neutral organization be established to aid
the wounded soldiers in times of war. Within a least period of time, this book was
being read and discussed across Europe. A year after the release of this book, an
International Conference was convened in Geneva to consider the suggestions of Henry
Dunant, and thus the Red Cross Movement was born. The International Red Cross Movement
was established by the Geneva Convention of 1864.
The name and the emblem of the movement are derived from the
reversal of the Swiss national flag, to honor the country in which Red Cross was
founded.
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| 1864 The Red Cross
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1929 The Red Crescent
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2006 The Red Crystal
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- The 1929 Geneva Convention authorized the use of the Red Crescent
- The international conference of 2006 adopted an additional emblem The Red Crystal