International Committee of the Red Cross
On the evening of the 24th of June 1859, Henry Dunant arrived in the small Italian town of Solferino. He had traveled from Geneva to meet French emperor Napoléon III about business difficulties in Algeria. Instead, he found a battlefield littered with the dead and dying after the Battle of Solferino. Approximately 40,000 soldiers lay wounded or killed on that single day. No organized army nursing system existed to treat them. Medical care was nearly non-existent for those left bleeding on the ground. Dunant abandoned his original trip purpose immediately. He spent several days organizing relief efforts without discrimination. Local residents joined him to help the suffering men. This experience became the catalyst for a new international movement.
Eight months after witnessing the carnage at Solferino, five men met in Geneva on the 17th of February 1863. The group included Gustave Moynier, Louis Appia, Théodore Maunoir, Guillaume-Henri Dufour, and Henry Dunant. They formed a Sub-committee to prepare a memorandum for a Welfare Congress. Their goal was to create legally binding rules for war. On the 22nd of August 1864, sixteen countries signed the First Geneva Convention. This document established ten articles guaranteeing neutrality for wounded soldiers and field medical personnel. It also defined requirements for national relief societies. Twelve states and kingdoms initially signed the agreement. Directly following this adoption, national societies began forming in Belgium, Denmark, France, Prussia, Spain, and Württemberg. Louis Appia and Charles van de Velde became the first independent delegates to work under the Red Cross symbol during an armed conflict three years later.
World War I presented challenges that required massive logistical coordination. On the 15th of October 1914, the ICRC established its International Prisoners-of-War Agency. By the end of 1914, about 1,200 mostly volunteer staff members worked there. The agency transferred approximately 20 million letters and messages between prisoners and their families. It sent 1.9 million parcels to those held captive. About 18 million Swiss francs in monetary donations were distributed to POWs of all affected countries. The organizational card index accumulated roughly 7 million records from 1914 to 1923. Each card represented an individual prisoner or missing person. This system identified about 2 million POWs and enabled contact with their families. A total of 524 camps throughout Europe received visits from 41 delegates until the war ended. The complete index remains on loan today to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva.
During World War II, the ICRC failed to obtain an agreement with Nazi Germany regarding concentration camp detainees. The organization eventually abandoned applying pressure to avoid disrupting work with prisoners of war. There was no public condemnation of treatment in concentration camps. A proposed 1942 appeal on the conduct of hostilities was abandoned. The ICRC failed to develop a response to reliable information about extermination camps and mass killing of European Jews. Swiss historian Jean-Claude Favez conducted an eight-year review of Red Cross records. He found that even though the group knew by November 1942 about Nazi annihilation plans for Jews, it did nothing to inform the public. In October 1942, the Swiss government and the Red Cross board vetoed a proposal to condemn civilian persecution. For the rest of the war, the Red Cross took its cues from Switzerland. Only after the war did the organization acknowledge this as its greatest failure in history.
On the 17th of December 1996, six staff members were shot at point-blank range while sleeping in the early hours. They worked in the ICRC field hospital in Nowije Atagi near Grozny in Chechnya. Fernanda Calado, Ingeborg Foss, Nancy Malloy, Gunnhild Myklebust, Sheryl Thayer, and Hans Elkerbout died in the attack. Their murderers have never been caught. Another tragedy occurred on the 26th of April 2001 when seven people were killed en route with two cars in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rita Fox, Véronique Saro, Julio Delgado, Unen Ufoirworth, Aduwe Boboli, Jean Molokabonge, and others came under fatal fire from unknown attackers. Ricardo Munguia was executed-style at point-blank range while traveling from Kandahar to Tirin Kot on the 27th of March 2003. His car was stopped by armed men who allowed his colleagues to escape. These killings shattered assumptions that neutrality would protect delegates. Three more staff were killed after shelling hit an aid distribution site in Donetsk region on the 12th of September 2024.
The Assembly has a membership limited to twenty-five Swiss citizens only. Members must speak French as the house language. They are co-opted for four-year terms without limit on re-election. A three-quarters majority vote is required for re-election after the third term. In early years, every Committee member was Genevan, Protestant, white, and male. The first woman, Renée-Marguerite Cramer, was co-opted in 1918 but resigned in 1922 when she moved to Germany. Pauline Chaponnière-Chaix succeeded her as the second female member. Suzanne Ferrière became the third female member in 1925. Non-Genevans were admitted starting in 1923. One Jew served in the Assembly during its history. The Directorate consists of a Director-General and five directors managing Operations, Human Resources, Financial Resources, Communication, and International Law. The President serves a four-year term selected from within or outside the organization. Mirjana Spoljaric Egger took office on the 1st of October 2022 as the first woman to serve as President.
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Common questions
When did Henry Dunant arrive in Solferino to witness the battle?
Henry Dunant arrived in the small Italian town of Solferino on the evening of the 24th of June 1859. He found a battlefield littered with dead and dying soldiers after the Battle of Solferino.
Who formed the Sub-committee that led to the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross?
Five men met in Geneva on the 17th of February 1863 to form a Sub-committee including Gustave Moynier, Louis Appia, Théodore Maunoir, Guillaume-Henri Dufour, and Henry Dunant. This group prepared a memorandum for a Welfare Congress to create legally binding rules for war.
What were the results of the First Geneva Convention signed by sixteen countries on the 22nd of August 1864?
The First Geneva Convention established ten articles guaranteeing neutrality for wounded soldiers and field medical personnel. It also defined requirements for national relief societies which began forming immediately in Belgium, Denmark, France, Prussia, Spain, and Württemberg.
How did the International Committee of the Red Cross respond to Nazi Germany regarding concentration camp detainees during World War II?
The organization failed to obtain an agreement with Nazi Germany regarding concentration camp detainees and abandoned applying pressure to avoid disrupting work with prisoners of war. There was no public condemnation of treatment in concentration camps despite knowing about annihilation plans by November 1942.
Which staff members died when they were shot at point-blank range while sleeping in Nowije Atagi on the 17th of December 1996?
Six staff members were killed including Fernanda Calado, Ingeborg Foss, Nancy Malloy, Gunnhild Myklebust, Sheryl Thayer, and Hans Elkerbout. Their murderers have never been caught.