International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a global humanitarian network dedicated to protecting human life and health, upholding human dignity, and alleviating suffering in times of crisis. With an estimated sixteen million volunteers, members, and staff, it represents one of the world’s most extensive and influential humanitarian systems. Its mission is grounded in principles of neutrality, impartiality, and humanity, ensuring assistance to all in need without discrimination.

Origins and the Influence of Solferino

The modern humanitarian movement emerged from the experiences of Jean-Henri Dunant, a Swiss businessman whose journey to Italy in 1859 coincided with the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino. The battle, a decisive engagement in the Second Italian War of Independence, resulted in approximately forty thousand casualties in a single day. Confronted with the suffering of wounded soldiers who lacked medical aid or organised care, Dunant abandoned his commercial plans and spent several days assisting local villagers in offering relief without regard to nationality.
His vivid account of these events, published in 1862 under the title A Memory of Solferino, called for the establishment of voluntary national societies dedicated to caring for wounded soldiers during wartime. It also urged the creation of an international legal framework that would protect medical personnel and facilities on the battlefield. Dunant sent his book to political and military leaders across Europe, encouraging action on these proposals.

The Committee of Five and the First International Conference

Dunant’s appeal reached Gustave Moynier, president of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare, which subsequently formed a commission—later known as the Committee of Five—to investigate and promote Dunant’s ideas. The committee included Moynier, Dunant, the physicians Louis Appia and Théodore Maunoir, and General Guillaume Henri Dufour of the Swiss Armed Forces.
In October 1863 the committee convened an international conference in Geneva. Thirty-six representatives attended, including official delegates from fourteen states, members of non-governmental organisations, and private individuals with relevant expertise. The conference adopted several key proposals: establishing national relief societies for wounded soldiers, ensuring neutrality for medical personnel and the wounded, organising further international meetings, and introducing a distinctive protective emblem for medical staff—a white armband marked with a red cross.

The First Geneva Convention and the Expansion of National Societies

In August 1864 the Swiss government hosted a diplomatic conference that led to the adoption of the First Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field. Delegates from twelve nations signed the treaty, which established binding rules guaranteeing the neutrality and protection of wounded soldiers, medical personnel, and field hospitals. This landmark treaty became the cornerstone of modern international humanitarian law.
The signing of the Geneva Convention prompted the formation of national societies across Europe, including those in Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Prussia, Spain, and Württemberg. Neutral delegates Louis Appia and Charles William Meredith van de Velde became the first individuals authorised to use the Red Cross emblem in conflict zones. The Ottoman Empire ratified the Convention in 1865, and in 1868 it established the Red Crescent, which became a major humanitarian institution in the Muslim world.

Organisational Development and Internal Challenges

The late nineteenth century saw the rapid growth of national societies and increasing international cooperation. At the same time, the movement encountered internal tensions. Dunant faced financial difficulties linked to business matters in Algeria, and conflict with Moynier led to Dunant’s expulsion from the committee in 1867. Forced to leave Geneva, he remained absent from the movement’s leadership though his influence continued to be recognised.
Despite these challenges, national societies proliferated across Europe and became prominent vehicles for volunteerism. In 1876 the Committee adopted the name International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which remains in use. In 1881 the American Red Cross was founded under the leadership of Clara Barton.
By the early twentieth century the movement’s reach extended beyond Europe and North America into Latin America, Asia, and Africa. National societies were established in countries such as Japan, China, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa, reflecting growing global engagement with humanitarian principles.

International Recognition and Legal Consolidation

The beginning of the twentieth century marked significant legal and institutional consolidation. The Geneva Convention underwent revision in 1906 to address shortcomings identified in earlier conflicts, and its principles were expanded to naval warfare through the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. These developments broadened the applicability of humanitarian protections and laid groundwork for later treaties.
In 1901 the first Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to Jean-Henri Dunant and the French pacifist Frédéric Passy. Dunant’s award symbolised both recognition of his foundational role and a moral rehabilitation following decades of personal and professional difficulty. His contributions became permanently associated with the ethos of the Red Cross Movement.

The Movement on the Eve of the First World War

By 1914, fifty years after the adoption of the First Geneva Convention, there were forty-five national Red Cross societies worldwide. The network had grown into a major global force capable of mobilising volunteers, medical staff, and relief resources.
When the First World War broke out, the ICRC faced demands on an unprecedented scale. National societies collaborated across borders to support military medical services. Nurses and volunteers from countries across Europe, America, and Asia worked to provide aid to wounded soldiers, demonstrating the transnational solidarity envisioned by Dunant. The ICRC also undertook extensive responsibilities in monitoring the treatment of prisoners of war and facilitating communication between captured soldiers and their families.

Humanitarian Principles and Global Legacy

The principles that guided the early movement—neutrality, impartiality, independence, voluntarism, unity, universality, and humanity—continue to define its operations. Over time the emblem system expanded to include the Red Crescent and, more recently, the Red Crystal, ensuring respect for cultural and religious diversity while maintaining the principle of protective symbols.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement today consists of three distinct components: the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the national societies of each member state. Together, they respond to armed conflict, natural disasters, health crises, and other humanitarian emergencies around the world.
The global influence of the movement rests on its capacity to mobilise volunteers, uphold the protections of international humanitarian law, and maintain a reputation for neutrality even in the most complex political environments. Its origins in Dunant’s compassionate response at Solferino continue to inspire its work, linking nineteenth-century humanitarian ideals with contemporary global challenges.