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International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

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   The Red Cross and the Red Crescent emblems, the symbols from which the
   Movement derives its name.
   Enlarge
   The Red Cross and the Red Crescent emblems, the symbols from which the
   Movement derives its name.

   The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an
   international humanitarian movement whose stated mission is to protect
   human life and health, to ensure respect for the human being, and to
   prevent and alleviate human suffering, without any discrimination based
   on nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions.
   The often-heard term International Red Cross is actually a misnomer, as
   no official organization exists bearing that name. In reality, the
   Movement consists of several distinct organizations that are legally
   independent from each other, but are united within the Movement through
   common basic principles, objectives, symbols, statutes, and governing
   organs. The Movement has several parts:
     * The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a private
       humanitarian institution founded in 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland.
       Its 25-member committee has a unique authority under international
       humanitarian law to protect the life and dignity of the victims of
       international and internal armed conflicts.

     * The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
       Societies (IFRC) was founded in 1919 and coordinates between the
       185 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies within the
       Movement. On an international level, the Federation leads and
       organizes, in close cooperation with the National Societies, relief
       assistance missions responding to large-scale emergencies. The
       International Federation Secretariat is based in Geneva,
       Switzerland.

     * National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies exist in nearly every
       country in the world. Currently 185 National Societies are
       recognized by the ICRC and admitted as full members of the
       Federation. Each entity works in its home country according to the
       principles of international humanitarian law and the statutes of
       the international Movement. Depending on their specific
       circumstances and capacities, National Societies can take on
       additional humanitarian tasks that are not directly defined by
       international humanitarian law or the mandates of the international
       Movement.

History of the Movement

The International Committee of the Red Cross

Solferino, Henry Dunant and the foundation of the ICRC

   Henry Dunant, author of "A Memory of Solferino".
   Enlarge
   Henry Dunant, author of " A Memory of Solferino".

   Up until the middle of the 19^th century, there were no organized and
   well-established army nursing systems for casualties and no safe and
   protected institutions to accommodate and treat those who were wounded
   on the battlefield. In June 1859, the Swiss businessman Henry Dunant
   traveled to Italy to meet French emperor Napoléon III with the
   intention of discussing difficulties in conducting business in Algeria,
   at that time occupied by France. When he arrived in the small town of
   Solferino on the evening of June 24, he witnessed the Battle of
   Solferino, an engagement in the Austro-Sardinian War. In a single day,
   about 40,000 soldiers on both sides died or were left wounded on the
   field. Henry Dunant was shocked by the terrible aftermath of the
   battle, the suffering of the wounded soldiers, and the near-total lack
   of medical attendance and basic care. He completely abandoned the
   original intent of his trip and for several days he devoted himself to
   helping with the treatment and care for the wounded. He succeeded in
   organizing an overwhelming level of relief assistance by motivating the
   local population to aid without discrimination. Back in his home in
   Geneva, he decided to write a book entitled A Memory of Solferino which
   he published with his own money in 1862. He sent copies of the book to
   leading political and military figures throughout Europe. In addition
   to penning a vivid description of his experiences in Solferino in 1859,
   he explicitly advocated the formation of national voluntary relief
   organizations to help nurse wounded soldiers in the case of war. In
   addition, he called for the development of international treaties to
   guarantee the neutrality and protection of those wounded on the
   battlefield as well as medics and field hospitals.
   Original document of the first Geneva Convention, 1864.
   Enlarge
   Original document of the first Geneva Convention, 1864.

   On February 9, 1863 in Geneva, Henry Dunant founded the "Committee of
   the Five" (together with four other leading figures from well-known
   Geneva families) as an investigatory commission of the Geneva Society
   for Public Welfare. Their aim was to examine the feasibility of
   Dunant's ideas and to organize an international conference about their
   possible implementation. The members of this committee, aside from
   Dunant himself, were Gustave Moynier, lawyer and chairman of the Geneva
   Society for Public Welfare; physician Louis Appia, who had significant
   experience working as a field surgeon; Appia's friend and colleague
   Théodore Maunoir, from the Geneva Hygiene and Health Commission; and
   Guillaume-Henri Dufour, a Swiss Army general of great renown. Eight
   days later, the five men decided to rename the committee to the
   "International Committee for Relief to the Wounded". In October (26-29)
   1863, the international conference organized by the committee was held
   in Geneva to develop possible measures to improve medical services on
   the battle field. The conference was attended by 36 individuals:
   eighteen official delegates from national governments, six delegates
   from other non-governmental organizations, seven non-official foreign
   delegates, and the five members of the International Committee. The
   states and kingdoms represented by official delegates were Baden,
   Bavaria, France, Britain, Hanover, Hesse, Italy, the Netherlands,
   Austria, Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and Spain. Among the
   proposals written in the final resolutions of the conference, adopted
   on October 29, 1863, were:
     * The foundation of national relief societies for wounded soldiers;
     * Neutrality and protection for wounded soldiers;
     * The utilization of volunteer forces for relief assistance on the
       battlefield;
     * The organization of additional conferences to enact these concepts
       in legally binding international treaties; and
     * The introduction of a common distinctive protection symbol for
       medical personnel in the field, namely a white armlet bearing a red
       cross.

   Memorial commemorating the first use of the Red Cross symbol in an
   armed conflict during the Battle of Dybbøl (Denmark) in 1864; jointly
   erected in 1989 by the national Red Cross societies of Denmark and
   Germany.
   Enlarge
   Memorial commemorating the first use of the Red Cross symbol in an
   armed conflict during the Battle of Dybbøl (Denmark) in 1864; jointly
   erected in 1989 by the national Red Cross societies of Denmark and
   Germany.

   Only one year later, the Swiss government invited the governments of
   all European countries, as well as the United States, Brazil, and
   Mexico, to attend an official diplomatic conference. 16 countries sent
   a total of 26 delegates to Geneva. On August 22, 1864, the conference
   adopted the first Geneva Convention "for the Amelioration of the
   Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field". Representatives of 12
   states and kingdoms signed the convention: Baden, Belgium, Denmark,
   France, Hesse, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Prussia, Switzerland,
   Spain, and Württemberg. The convention contained ten articles,
   establishing for the first time legally binding rules guaranteeing
   neutrality and protection for wounded soldiers, field medical
   personnel, and specific humanitarian institutions in an armed conflict.
   Furthermore, the convention defined two specific requirements for
   recognition of a national relief society by the International
   Committee:
     * The national society must be recognized by its own national
       government as a relief society according to the convention, and
     * The national government of the respective country must be a state
       party to the Geneva Convention.

   Directly following the establishment of the Geneva Convention, the
   first national societies were founded in Belgium, Denmark, France,
   Oldenburg, Prussia, Spain, and Württemberg. Also in 1864, Louis Appia
   and Charles van de Velde, a captain of the Dutch Army, became the first
   independent and neutral delegates to work under the symbol of the Red
   Cross in an armed conflict. Three years later in 1867, the first
   International Conference of National Aid Societies for the Nursing of
   the War Wounded was convened.

   Also in 1867, Henry Dunant was forced to declare bankruptcy due to
   business failures in Algeria, partly because he had neglected his
   business interests during his tireless activities for the International
   Committee. Controversy surrounding Dunant's business dealings and the
   resulting negative public opinion combined with an ongoing conflict
   with Gustave Moynier led to Dunant's expulsion from his position as a
   member and secretary. He was forced to leave Geneva and never returned
   to his home city. In the following years, national societies were
   founded in nearly every country in Europe. In 1876, the committee
   adopted the name "International Committee of the Red Cross" (ICRC),
   which is still its official designation today. Five years later, the
   American Red Cross was founded through the efforts of Clara Barton.
   More and more countries signed the Geneva Convention and began to
   respect it in practice during armed conflicts. In a rather short period
   of time, the Red Cross gained huge momentum as an internationally
   respected movement, and the national societies became increasingly
   popular as a venue for volunteer work.

   When the first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in 1901, the Norwegian
   Nobel Committee opted to give it jointly to Henry Dunant and Frédéric
   Passy, a leading international pacifist. More significant than the
   honour of the prize itself, the official congratulation from the
   International Committee of the Red Cross marked the overdue
   rehabilitation of Henry Dunant and represented a tribute to his key
   role in the formation of the Red Cross. Dunant died nine years later in
   the small Swiss health resort of Heiden. Only two months earlier his
   long-standing adversary Gustave Moynier had also died, leaving a mark
   in the history of the Committee as its longest-running president ever.

   In 1906, the 1864 Geneva Convention was revised for the first time. One
   year later, the Hague Convention X, adopted at the Second International
   Peace Conference in The Hague, extended the scope of the Geneva
   Convention to naval warfare. Shortly before the beginning of the First
   World War in 1914, 50 years after the foundation of the ICRC and the
   adoption of the first Geneva Convention, there were already 45 national
   relief societies throughout the world. The movement had extended itself
   beyond Europe and North America to Central and South America
   (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, Uruguay,
   Venezuela), Asia (the Republic of China, Japan, Korea, Siam), and
   Africa ( Republic of South Africa).

The ICRC during World War One

   French postcard celebrating the role of Red Cross nurses during the
   First World War, 1915.
   Enlarge
   French postcard celebrating the role of Red Cross nurses during the
   First World War, 1915.

   With the outbreak of World War I, the ICRC found itself confronted with
   enormous challenges which it could only handle by working closely with
   the national Red Cross societies. Red Cross nurses from around the
   world, including the United States and Japan, came to support the
   medical services of the armed forces of the European countries involved
   in the war. On October 15, 1914, immediately after the start of the
   war, the ICRC set up its International Prisoners-of-War ( POW) Agency,
   which had about 1,200 mostly volunteer staff members by the end of
   1914. By the end of the war, the Agency had transferred about 20
   million letters and messages, 1.9 million parcels, and about 18 million
   Swiss francs in monetary donations to POWs of all affected countries.
   Furthermore, due to the intervention of the Agency, about 200,000
   prisoners were exchanged between the warring parties, released from
   captivity and returned to their home country. The organizational card
   index of the Agency accumulated about 7 million records from 1914 to
   1923, each card representing an individual prisoner or missing person.
   The card index led to the identification of about 2 million POWs and
   the ability to contact their families. The complete index is on loan
   today from the ICRC to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
   Museum in Geneva. The right to access the index is still strictly
   restricted to the ICRC.

   During the entire war, the ICRC monitored warring parties’ compliance
   with the Geneva Conventions of the 1907 revision and forwarded
   complaints about violations to the respective country. When chemical
   weapons were used in this war for the first time in history, the ICRC
   vigorously protested against this new type of warfare. Even without
   having a mandate from the Geneva Conventions, the ICRC tried to
   ameliorate the suffering of civil populations. In territories that were
   officially designated as "occupied territories," the ICRC could assist
   the civilian population on the basis of the Hague Convention's "Laws
   and Customs of War on Land" of 1907. This convention was also the legal
   basis for the ICRC's work for prisoners of war. In addition to the work
   of the International Prisoner-of-War Agency as described above this
   included inspection visits to POW camps. A total of 524 camps
   throughout Europe were visited by 41 delegates from the ICRC until the
   end of the war.

   Between 1916 and 1918, the ICRC published a number of postcards with
   scenes from the POW camps. The pictures showed the prisoners in
   day-to-day activities such as the distribution of letters from home.
   The intention of the ICRC was to provide the families of the prisoners
   with some hope and solace and to alleviate their uncertainties about
   the fate of their loved ones. After the end of the war, the ICRC
   organized the return of about 420,000 prisoners to their home
   countries. In 1920, the task of repatriation was handed over to the
   newly founded League of Nations, which appointed the Norwegian diplomat
   and scientist Fridtjof Nansen as its "High Commissioner for
   Repatriation of the War Prisoners." His legal mandate was later
   extended to support and care for war refugees and displaced persons
   when his office became that of the League of Nations "High Commissioner
   for Refugees." Nansen, who invented the Nansen passport for stateless
   refugees and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922, appointed two
   delegates from the ICRC as his deputies.

   A year before the end of the war, the ICRC received the 1917 Nobel
   Peace Prize for its outstanding wartime work. It was the only Nobel
   Peace Prize awarded in the period from 1914 to 1918. In 1923, the
   Committee adopted a change in its policy regarding the selection of new
   members. Until then, only citizens from the city of Geneva could serve
   in the Committee. This limitation was expanded to include Swiss
   citizens. As a direct consequence of World War I, an additional
   protocol to the Geneva Convention was adopted in 1925 which outlawed
   the use of suffocating or poisonous gases and biological agents as
   weapons. Four years later, the 1906 Convention was revised and the
   second Geneva Convention "relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of
   War" was established. The events of World War I and the respective
   activities of the ICRC significantly increased the reputation and
   authority of the Committee among the international community and led to
   an extension of its competencies.

   As early as in 1934, a draft proposal for an additional convention for
   the protection of the civil population during an armed conflict was
   adopted by the International Red Cross Conference. Unfortunately, most
   governments had not enough interests in implementing this convention,
   preventing it from entering into force before the beginning of World
   War II.

The ICRC and World War Two

   Red Cross message from Łódź, Poland, 1940.
   Enlarge
   Red Cross message from Łódź, Poland, 1940.

   The legal basis of the work of the ICRC during World War II were the
   Geneva Conventions in their 1929 revision. The activities of the
   Committee were similar to those during World War I: visiting and
   monitoring POW camps, organizing relief assistance for civilian
   populations, and administering the exchange of messages regarding
   prisoners and missing persons. By the end of the war, 179 delegates had
   conducted 12,750 visits to POW camps in 41 countries. The Central
   Information Agency on Prisoners-of-War (Zentralauskunftsstelle für
   Kriegsgefangene) had a staff of 3,000, the card index tracking
   prisoners contained 45 million cards, and 120 million messages were
   exchanged by the Agency. One major obstacle was that the
   Nazi-controlled German Red Cross refused to cooperate with the Geneva
   statutes including blatant violations such as the deportation of Jews
   from Germany and the mass murders conducted in the concentration camps
   run by the German government. Moreover, two other main aggressors, the
   Soviet Union and Japan, were not party to the 1929 Geneva Conventions
   and were not legally required to follow the rules of the conventions.
   Thus, other countries were not bound to follow the Conventions
   regarding their prisoners in return.

   During the war, the ICRC failed to obtain an agreement with Nazi
   Germany about the treatment of detainees in concentration camps, and it
   eventually abandoned applying pressure in order to avoid disrupting its
   work with POWs. The ICRC also failed to develop a response to reliable
   information about the extermination camps and the mass killing of
   European Jews. This is still considered the greatest failure of the
   ICRC in its history. After November 1943, the ICRC achieved permission
   to send parcels to concentration camp detainees with known names and
   locations. Because the notices of receipt for these parcels were often
   signed by other inmates, the ICRC managed to register the identities of
   about 105,000 detainees in the concentration camps and delivered about
   1.1 million parcels, primarily to the camps Dachau, Buchenwald,
   Ravensbrück, and Sachsenhausen.
   Marcel Junod, delegate of the ICRC, visiting POWs in Germany.(© Benoit
   Junod, Switzerland)
   Enlarge
   Marcel Junod, delegate of the ICRC, visiting POWs in Germany.
   (© Benoit Junod, Switzerland)

   On March 12, 1945, ICRC president Jacob Burckhardt received a message
   from SS General Ernst Kaltenbrunner accepting the ICRC's demand to
   allow delegates to visit the concentration camps. This agreement was
   bound by the condition that these delegates would have to stay in the
   camps until the end of the war. Ten delegates, among them Louis
   Haefliger (Camp Mauthausen), Paul Dunant ( Camp Theresienstadt) and
   Victor Maurer ( Camp Dachau), accepted the assignment and visited the
   camps. Louis Haefliger prevented the forceful eviction or blasting of
   Mauthausen-Gusen by alerting American troops, thereby saving the lives
   of about 60,000 inmates. His actions were condemned by the ICRC because
   they were deemed as acting unduly on his own authority and risking the
   ICRC's neutrality. Only in 1990, his reputation was finally
   rehabilitated by ICRC president Cornelio Sommaruga.

   Another example of great humanitarian spirit was Friedrich Born
   (1903-1963), an ICRC delegate in Budapest who saved the lives of about
   11,000 to 15,000 Jewish people in Hungary. Marcel Junod (1904-1961), a
   physician from Geneva, was another famous delegate during the Second
   World War. An account of his experiences, which included being one of
   the first foreigners to visit Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was
   dropped, can be found in the book Warrior without Weapons.

   In 1944, the ICRC received its second Nobel Peace Prize. As in World
   War I, it received the only Peace Prize awarded during the main period
   of war, 1939 to 1945. At the end of the war, the ICRC worked with
   national Red Cross societies to organize relief assistance to those
   countries most severely affected. In 1948, the Committee published a
   report reviewing its war-era activities from September 1, 1939 to June
   30, 1947. Since January 1996, the ICRC archive for this period has been
   open to academic and public research.

The ICRC after the Second World War

   The ICRC Headquarters in Geneva.
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   The ICRC Headquarters in Geneva.

   On August 12, 1949, further revisions to the existing two Geneva
   Conventions were adopted. An additional convention "for the
   Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members
   of Armed Forces at Sea", named the second Geneva Convention, was added
   to succeed the 1907 Hague Convention X. The 1929 convention "relative
   to the Treatment of Prisoners of War", while being the second Geneva
   Convention from a historical point of view, became the third convention
   in the context of the 1949 revisions. Reacting to the experience of
   World War II, the Fourth Geneva Convention, a new Convention "relative
   to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War," was established.
   Also, the additional protocols of June 8, 1977 were intended to make
   the conventions apply to internal conflicts such as civil wars. Today,
   the four conventions and their added protocols contain more than 600
   articles, a remarkable expansion when compared to the mere 10 articles
   in the first 1864 convention.

   In celebration of its centennial in 1963, the ICRC, together with the
   League of Red Cross societies, received its third Nobel Peace Prize.
   Since 1993, non-Swiss individuals have been allowed to serve as
   Committee delegates abroad, a task which was previously restricted to
   Swiss citizens. Indeed, since then, the share of staff without Swiss
   citizenship has increased to about 35%.

   On October 16, 1990, the UN General Assembly decided to grant the ICRC
   observer status for its assembly sessions and sub-committee meetings,
   the first observer status given to a private organization. The
   resolution was jointly proposed by 138 member states and introduced by
   the Italian ambassador, Vieri Traxler, in memory of the organization's
   origins in the Battle of Solferino. An agreement with the Swiss
   government signed on March 19, 1993, affirmed the already long-standing
   policy of full independence of the Committee from any possible
   interference by Switzerland. The agreement protects the full sanctity
   of all ICRC property in Switzerland including its headquarters and
   archive, grants members and staff legal immunity, exempts the ICRC from
   all taxes and fees, guarantees the protected and duty-free transfer of
   goods, services, and money, provides the ICRC with secure communication
   privileges at the same level as foreign embassies, and simplifies
   Committee travel in and out of Switzerland.

   At the end of the Cold War, the ICRC's work actually became more
   dangerous. In the 1990s, more delegates lost their lives than at any
   point in its history, especially when working in local and internal
   armed conflicts. These incidents often demonstrated a lack of respect
   for the rules of the Geneva Conventions and their protection symbols.
   Among the slain delegates were:
     * Frédéric Maurice. He died on May 19, 1992 at the age of 39, one day
       after a Red Cross transport he was escorting was attacked in the
       former Yugoslavian city of Sarajevo.
     * Fernanda Calado (Spain), Ingeborg Foss (Norway), Nancy Malloy
       (Canada), Gunnhild Myklebust (Norway), Sheryl Thayer (New Zealand),
       and Hans Elkerbout (Netherlands). They were murdered at point-blank
       range while sleeping in the early hours of December 17, 1996 in the
       ICRC field hospital in the Chechen city of Nowije Atagi near
       Grozny. Their murderers have never been caught and there was no
       apparent motive for the killings.
     * Rita Fox (Switzerland), Véronique Saro ( Democratic Republic of
       Congo, formerly Zaire), Julio Delgado (Colombia), Unen Ufoirworth
       (DR Congo), Aduwe Boboli (DR Congo), and Jean Molokabonge (DR
       Congo). On April 26, 2001, they were en route with two cars on a
       relief mission in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo
       when they came under fatal fire from unknown attackers.
     * Ricardo Munguia (El Salvador). He was working as a water engineer
       in Afghanistan and travelling with local colleagues when their car
       was stopped by unknown armed men. He was killed execution-style at
       point-blank range while his colleagues were allowed to escape. He
       died at the age of 39.
     * Vatche Arslanian (Canada). Since 2001, he worked as a logistics
       coordinator for the ICRC mission in Iraq. He died when he was
       travelling through Baghdad together with members of the Iraqi Red
       Crescent. Their car accidentally came into the cross fire of
       fighting in the city.
     * Nadisha Yasassri Ranmuthu (Sri Lanka). He was killed by unknown
       attackers on July 22, 2003 when his car was fired upon near the
       city of Hilla in the south of Baghdad.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

History

   Henry Davison, Founding father of the League of Red Cross
   societies.(Picture from: www.redcross.int)
   Enlarge
   Henry Davison, Founding father of the League of Red Cross societies.
   (Picture from: www.redcross.int)

   In 1919, representatives from the national Red Cross societies of
   Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the US came together in Paris to
   found the "League of Red Cross Societies". The original idea was Henry
   Davison's, then president of the American Red Cross. This move, led by
   the American Red Cross, expanded the international activities of the
   Red Cross movement beyond the strict mission of the ICRC to include
   relief assistance in response to emergency situations which were not
   caused by war (such as man-made or natural disasters). The ARC already
   had great disaster relief mission experience extending back to its
   foundation.

   The formation of the League, as an additional international Red Cross
   organization alongside the ICRC, was not without controversy for a
   number of reasons. The ICRC had, to some extent, valid concerns about a
   possible rivalry between both organizations. The foundation of the
   League was seen as an attempt to undermine the leadership position of
   the ICRC within the movement and to gradually transfer most of its
   tasks and competencies to a multilateral institution. In addition to
   that, all founding members of the League were national societies from
   countries of the Entente or from associated partners of the Entente.
   The original statutes of the League from May 1919 contained further
   regulations which gave the five founding societies a privileged status
   and, due to the efforts of Henry P. Davison, the right to permanently
   exclude the national Red Cross societies from the countries of the
   Central Powers, namely Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey,
   and in addition to that the national Red Cross society of Russia. These
   rules were contrary to the Red Cross principles of universality and
   equality among all national societies, a situation which furthered the
   concerns of the ICRC.

   The first relief assistance mission organized by the League was an aid
   mission for the victims of a famine and subsequent typhus epidemic in
   Poland. Only five years after its foundation, the League had already
   issued 47 donation appeals for missions in 34 countries, an impressive
   indication of the need for this type of Red Cross work. The total sum
   raised by these appeals reached 685 million Swiss Francs, which were
   used to bring emergency supplies to the victims of famines in Russia,
   Germany, and Albania; earthquakes in Chile, Persia, Japan, Colombia,
   Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Turkey; and refugee flows in Greece and
   Turkey. The first large-scale disaster mission of the League came after
   the 1923 earthquake in Japan which killed about 200,000 people and left
   countless more wounded and without shelter. Due to the League's
   coordination, the Red Cross society of Japan received goods from its
   sister societies reaching a total worth of about $100 million. Another
   important new field initiated by the League was the creation of youth
   Red Cross organizations within the national societies.
   A stamp from Turkey to support the Red Crescent, 1928.
   Enlarge
   A stamp from Turkey to support the Red Crescent, 1928.

   A joint mission of the ICRC and the League in the Russian Civil War
   from 1917 to 1922 marked the first time the movement was involved in an
   internal conflict, although still without an explicit mandate from the
   Geneva Conventions. The League, with support from more than 25 national
   societies, organized assistance missions and the distribution of food
   and other aid goods for civil populations affected by hunger and
   disease. The ICRC worked with the Russian Red Cross society and later
   the society of the Soviet Union, constantly emphasizing the ICRC's
   neutrality. In 1928, the "International Council" was founded to
   coordinate cooperation between the ICRC and the League, a task which
   was later taken over by the "Standing Commission". In the same year, a
   common statute for the movement was adopted for the first time,
   defining the respective roles of the ICRC and the League within the
   movement.

   During the Abyssinian war between Ethiopia and Italy from 1935 to 1936,
   the League contributed aid supplies worth about 1.7 million Swiss
   Francs. Because the Italian fascist regime under Mussolini refused any
   cooperation with the Red Cross, these goods were delivered solely to
   Ethiopia. During the war, an estimated 29 people lost their lives while
   being under explicit protection of the Red Cross symbol, most of them
   due to attacks by the Italian Army. During the Civil War in Spain from
   1936 to 1939 the League once again joined forces with the ICRC with the
   support of 41 national societies. In 1939 on the brink of the Second
   World War, the League relocated its headquarters from Paris to Geneva
   to take advantage of Swiss neutrality.
   Peace Nobel Prize ceremony in 1963; From left to right: King Olav of
   Norway, ICRC President Leopold Boissier, League Chairman John A.
   MacAulay.(Picture from: www.redcross.int)
   Enlarge
   Peace Nobel Prize ceremony in 1963; From left to right: King Olav of
   Norway, ICRC President Leopold Boissier, League Chairman John A.
   MacAulay.
   (Picture from: www.redcross.int)

   In 1952, the 1928 common statute of the movement was revised for the
   first time. Also, the period of decolonization from 1960 to 1970 was
   marked by a huge jump in the number of recognized national Red Cross
   and Red Crescent societies. By the end of the 1960's, there were more
   than 100 societies around the world. On December 10, 1963, the
   Federation and the ICRC received the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1983, the
   League was renamed to the "League of Red Cross and Red Crescent
   Societies" to reflect the growing number of national societies
   operating under the Red Crescent symbol. Three years later, the seven
   basic principles of the movement as adopted in 1965 were incorporated
   into its statutes. The name of the League was changed again in 1991 to
   its current official designation the "International Federation of Red
   Cross and Red Crescent Societies". In 1997, the ICRC and the Federation
   signed the Seville Agreement which further defined the responsibilities
   of both organizations within the movement. In 2004, the Federation
   began its largest mission to date after the tsunami disaster in South
   Asia. More than 40 national societies have worked with more than 22,000
   volunteers to bring relief to the countless victims left without food
   and shelter and endangered by the risk of epidemics.

Presidents of the Federation

   Since 2001, the president of the Federation has been Don Juan Manuel
   Suárez Del Toro Rivero of Spain. The Vice presidents are currently René
   Rhinow (ex officio as president of the Swiss Red Cross society) and,
   representing the different core regions of the world, Bengt Westerberg
   (Sweden), Tadateru Konoe (Japan), Shimelis Adugna (Ethiopia) and
   Raymond Forde (Barbados).

   Former presidents (until 1977 titled "Chairman") have been:
     * 1919 - 1922: Henry Davison ( USA)
     * 1922 - 1935: John Barton Payne (USA)
     * 1935 - 1938: Cary Travers Grayson (USA)
     * 1938 - 1944: Norman Davis (USA)
     * 1944 - 1945: Jean de Muralt (Switzerland)
     * 1945 - 1950: Basil O'Connor (USA)

     * 1950 - 1959: Emil Sandstrom (Sweden)
     * 1959 - 1965: John MacAulay (Canada)
     * 1965 - 1977: José Barroso Chávez (Mexico)
     * 1977 - 1981: Adetunji Adefarasin (Nigeria)
     * 1981 - 1987: Enrique de la Mata (Spain)
     * 1987 - 1997: Mario Enrique Villarroel Lander (Venezuela)
     * 1997 - 2000: Astrid Nøklebye Heiberg (Norway)

Activities

Organization of the Movement

   Entry to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva.
   Enlarge
   Entry to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva.

   Altogether, there are about 97 million people worldwide who serve with
   the ICRC, the Federation, and the national societies. And there are
   about 300,000 total full time staff members.

   The 1965 International Conference in Vienna adopted seven basic
   principles which should be shared by all parts of the Movement, and
   they were added to the official statutes of the Movement in 1986.
     * Humanity
     * Impartiality
     * Neutrality
     * Independence
     * Voluntary Service
     * Unity
     * Universality

   The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference, which occurs
   once every four years, is the highest institutional body of the
   Movement. It gathers delegations from all of the national societies as
   well as from the ICRC, the Federation and the signatory states to the
   Geneva Conventions. In between the conferences, the Standing Commission
   acts as the supreme body and supervises implementation of and
   compliance with the resolutions of the conference. In addition, the
   Standing Commission coordinates the cooperation between the ICRC and
   the Federation. It consists of two representatives from the ICRC
   (including its president), two from the Federation (including its
   president), and five individuals who are elected by the International
   Conference. The Standing Commission convenes every six months on
   average. Moreover, a convention of the Council of Delegates of the
   Movement takes place every two years in the course of the conferences
   of the General Assemblies of the Federation. The Council of Delegates
   plans and coordinates joint activities for the Movement.

Activities and Organization of the ICRC

The mission of the ICRC and its responsibilities within the Movement

   Emblem of the ICRC.
   Enlarge
   Emblem of the ICRC.

   The official mission of the ICRC as an impartial, neutral, and
   independent organization is to stand for the protection of the life and
   dignity of victims of international and internal armed conflicts.
   According to the 1997 Seville Agreement, it is the "Lead Agency" of the
   Movement in conflicts. The core tasks of the Committee, which are
   derived from the Geneva Conventions and its own statutes, are the
   following:
     * to monitor compliance of warring parties with the Geneva
       Conventions
     * to organize nursing and care for those who are wounded on the
       battlefield
     * to supervise the treatment of prisoners of war
     * to help with the search for missing persons in an armed conflict
       (tracing service)
     * to organize protection and care for civil populations
     * to arbitrate between warring parties in an armed conflict

Legal status and organization

   The ICRC is headquartered in the Swiss city of Geneva and has external
   offices in about 80 countries. It has about 12,000 staff members
   worldwide, about 800 of them working in its Geneva headquarters, 1,200
   expatriates with about half of them serving as delegates managing its
   international missions and the other half being specialists like
   doctors, agronomists, engineers or interpreters, and about 10,000
   members of individual national societies working on site. Contrary to
   popular belief, the ICRC is not a non-governmental organization in the
   most common sense of the term, nor is it an international organization.
   As it limits its members (a process called cooptation) to Swiss
   nationals only, it does not have a policy of open and unrestricted
   membership for individuals like other legally defined NGOs. The word
   "international" in its name does not refer to its membership but to the
   worldwide scope of its activities as defined by the Geneva Conventions.
   The ICRC has special privileges and legal immunities in many countries,
   based on national law in these countries or through agreements between
   the Committee and respective national governments. According to Swiss
   law, the ICRC is defined as a private association. According to its
   statutes it consists of 15 to 25 Swiss-citizen members, which it coopts
   for a period of four years. There is no limit to the number of terms an
   individual member can have although a three-quarters majority of all
   members is required for re-election after the third term.

   The leading organs of the ICRC are the Directorate and the Assembly.
   The Directorate is the executive body of the Committee. It consists of
   a General Director and five directors in the areas of "Operations",
   "Human Resources", "Resources and Operational Support",
   "Communication", and "International Law and Cooperation within the
   Movement". The members of the Directorate are appointed by the Assembly
   to serve for four years. The Assembly, consisting of all of the members
   of the Committee, convenes on a regular basis and is responsible for
   defining aims, guidelines, and strategies and for supervising the
   financial matters of the Committee. The president of the Assembly is
   also the president of the Committee as a whole. Furthermore, the
   Assembly elects a five member Assembly Council which has the authority
   to decide on behalf of the full Assembly in some matters. The Council
   is also responsible for organizing the Assembly meetings and for
   facilitating communication between the Assembly and the Directorate.

   Due to Geneva's location in the French-speaking part of Switzerland,
   the ICRC usually acts under its French name Comité international de la
   Croix-Rouge (CICR). The official symbol of the ICRC is the Red Cross on
   white background with the words "COMITE INTERNATIONAL GENEVE" circling
   the cross.

Funding and financial matters

   The 2005 budget of the ICRC amounts to about 970 million Swiss Francs.
   Most of that money comes from Switzerland in its capacity as the
   depositary state of the Geneva Conventions, from national Red Cross
   societies, the signatory states of the Geneva Conventions, and from
   international organizations like the European Union. All payments to
   the ICRC are voluntary and are received as donations based on two types
   of appeals issued by the Committee: an annual Headquarters Appeal to
   cover its internal costs and Emergency Appeals for its individual
   missions. The total budget for 2005 consists of about 819.7 million
   Swiss Francs (85% of the total) for field work and 152.1 million Swiss
   Francs (15%) for internal costs. In 2005, the budget for field work
   increased by 8.6% and the internal budget by 1.5% compared to 2004,
   primarily due to above average increases in the number and scope of its
   missions in Africa.

Activities and organization of the Federation

The Mission of the Federation and its responsibilities within the Movement

   Emblem of the Federation.
   Enlarge
   Emblem of the Federation.

   The Federation coordinates cooperation between national Red Cross and
   Red Crescent societies throughout the world and supports the foundation
   of new national societies in countries where no official society
   exists. On the international stage, the Federation organizes and leads
   relief assistance missions after emergencies like natural disasters,
   manmade disasters, epidemics, mass refugee flights, and other
   emergencies. According to the 1997 Seville Agreement, the Federation is
   the Lead Agency of the Movement in any emergency situation which does
   not take place as part of an armed conflict. The Federation cooperates
   with the national societies of those countries affected - each called
   the Operating National Society (ONS) - as well as the national
   societies of other countries willing to offer assistance - called
   Participating National Societies (PNS). Among the 187 national
   societies admitted to the General Assembly of the Federation as full
   members or observers, about 25-30 regularly work as PNS in other
   countries. The most active of those are the American Red Cross, the
   British Red Cross, the German Red Cross, and the Red Cross societies of
   Sweden and Norway. Another major mission of the Federation which has
   gained attention in recent years is its commitment to work towards a
   codified, worldwide ban on the use of land mines and to bring medical,
   psychological, and social support for people injured by land mines.

   The tasks of the Federation can therefore be summarized as follows:
     * to promote humanitarian principles and values
     * to provide relief assistance in emergency situations of large
       magnitude
     * to support the national societies with disaster preparedness
       through the education of voluntary members and the provision of
       equipment and relief supplies
     * to support local health care projects
     * to support the national societies with youth-related activities

Legal status and organization

   Like the ICRC, the Federation has its headquarters in Geneva. It also
   runs 14 permanent regional offices and has about 350 delegates in more
   than 60 delegations around the world. The legal basis for the work of
   the Federation is its constitution. The executive body of the
   Federation is a secretariat, led by a Secretary General. The
   secretariat is supported by four divisions labeled "Support Services",
   "National Society and Field Support", "Policy and Relations" and
   "Movement Cooperation". The Movement Cooperation division organizes
   interaction and cooperation with the ICRC. The highest body of the
   Federation is the General Assembly which convenes every two years with
   delegates from all of the national societies. Among other tasks, the
   General Assembly elects the Secretary General. Between the convening of
   General Assemblies, the Governing Board is the leading body of the
   Federation. It has the authority to make decisions for the Federation
   in a number of areas. The Governing Board consists of the president and
   the vice presidents of the Federation, the chairman of the Finance
   Commission, and twenty elected representatives from national societies.
   It is supported by four additional commissions: "Disaster Relief",
   "Youth", "Health & Community Services", and "Development".

   The symbol of the Federation is the combination of the Red Cross (left)
   and Red Crescent (right) on a white background (surrounded by a red
   rectangular frame) without any additional text.

Funding and financial matters

   The main parts of the budget of the Federation are funded by
   contributions from the national societies which are members of the
   Federation and through revenues from its investments. The exact amount
   of contributions from each member society is established by the Finance
   Commission and approved by the General Assembly. Any additional
   funding, especially for unforeseen expenses for relief assistance
   missions, is raised by appeals published by the Federation and comes
   from voluntary donations by national societies, governments, other
   organizations, corporations, and individuals.

National societies within the Movement

Official Recognition of a national society

   An ambulance owned by the Mexican Red Cross
   Enlarge
   An ambulance owned by the Mexican Red Cross

   National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies exist in nearly every
   country in the world. Within their home country, they take on the
   duties and responsibilities of a national relief society as defined by
   International Humanitarian Law. Within the Movement, the ICRC is
   responsible for legally recognizing a relief society as an official
   national Red Cross or Red Crescent society. The exact rules for
   recognition are defined in the statutes of the Movement. Article 4 of
   these statutes contains the "Conditions for recognition of National
   Societies":

          In order to be recognized in terms of Article 5, paragraph 2 b)
          as a National Society, the Society shall meet the following
          conditions:

         1. Be constituted on the territory of an independent State where
            the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of
            the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field is in force.
         2. Be the only National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society of the
            said State and be directed by a central body which shall alone
            be competent to represent it in its dealings with other
            components of the Movement.
         3. Be duly recognized by the legal government of its country on
            the basis of the Geneva Conventions and of the national
            legislation as a voluntary aid society, auxiliary to the
            public authorities in the humanitarian field.
         4. Have an autonomous status which allows it to operate in
            conformity with the Fundamental Principles of the Movement.
         5. Use the name and emblem of the Red Cross or Red Crescent in
            conformity with the Geneva Conventions.
         6. Be so organized as to be able to fulfill the tasks defined in
            its own statutes, including the preparation in peace time for
            its statutory tasks in case of armed conflict.
         7. Extend its activities to the entire territory of the State.
         8. Recruit its voluntary members and its staff without
            consideration of race, sex, class, religion or political
            opinions.
         9. Adhere to the present Statutes, share in the fellowship which
            unites the components of the Movement and co-operate with
            them.
        10. Respect the Fundamental Principles of the Movement and be
            guided in its work by the principles of international
            humanitarian law.

   After recognition by the ICRC, a national society is admitted as a
   member to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
   societies.

Activities of national societies on a national and international stage

   Despite formal independence regarding its organizational structure and
   work, each national society is still bound by the laws of its home
   country. In many countries, national Red Cross and Red Crescent
   societies enjoy exceptional privileges due to agreements with their
   governments or specific "Red Cross Laws" granting full independence as
   required by the International Movement. The duties and responsibilities
   of a national society as defined by International Humanitarian Law and
   the statutes of the Movement include humanitarian aid in armed
   conflicts and emergency crises such as natural disasters. Depending on
   their respective human, technical, financial, and organizational
   resources, many national societies take on additional humanitarian
   tasks within their home countries such as Blood donation services or
   acting as civilian Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers. The ICRC
   and the International Federation cooperate with the national societies
   in their international missions, especially with human, material, and
   financial resources and organizing on-site logistics.

Symbols of the Movement

Protection symbols vs. organizational emblems

   The symbols described below have two distinctively different meanings.
   On one hand, the visual symbols of the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, the
   Red Lion with Sun and the Red Crystal serve as protection markings in
   armed conflicts, a denotation which is derived from and defined in the
   Geneva Conventions. This is called the protective use of the symbols.
   On the other hand, these symbols are used as distinctive logos by those
   organizations which are part of the International Red Cross and Red
   Crescent Movement. This is the indicative use of the emblems, a meaning
   which is defined in the statutes of the International Movement and
   partly in the third Additional Protocol.

   As a protection symbol, they are used in armed conflicts to mark
   persons and objects (buildings, vehicles, etc.) which are working in
   compliance with the rules of the Geneva Conventions. In this function,
   they can also be used by organizations and objects which are not part
   of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, for example
   the medical services of the armed forces, civilian hospitals, and civil
   defense units. As protection symbols, these emblems should be used
   without any additional specification (textual or otherwise) and in a
   prominent manner which makes them as visible and observable as
   possible, for example by using large white flags bearing the symbol.
   Four of these symbols, namely the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, the Red
   Lion with Sun and the Red Crystal, are defined in the Geneva
   Conventions and their Additional Protocols as symbols for protective
   use.

   When used as an organizational logo, these symbols only indicate that
   persons, vehicles, buildings, etc. which bear the symbols belong to a
   specific organization which is part of the International Red Cross and
   Red Crescent Movement (like the ICRC, the International Federation or
   the national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies). In this case, they
   should be used with an additional specification (for example "American
   Red Cross") and not be displayed as prominently as when used as
   protection symbols. Three of these symbols, namely the Red Cross, the
   Red Crescent and the Red Crystal, can be used for indicative purposes
   by national societies for use in their home country or abroad. In
   addition to that, the Red Shield of David can be used by the Israel
   society Magen David Adom for indicative purposes within Israel, and,
   pending the approval of the respective host country, in combination
   with the Red Crystal when working abroad.

Red Cross

   The Red Cross symbol.
   Enlarge
   The Red Cross symbol.

   The Red Cross on white background was the original protection symbol
   declared at the 1864 Geneva Convention. It is, in terms of its colour,
   a reversal of the Swiss national flag, a meaning which was adopted to
   honour Swiss founder Henry Dunant and his home country. The ideas to
   introduce a uniform and neutral protection symbol as well as its
   specific design originally came from Dr. Louis Appia and General Henri
   Dufour, founding members of the International Committee. The Red Cross
   is defined as a protection symbol in Article 7 of the 1864 Geneva
   Convention, Chapter VII ("The distinctive emblem") and Article 38 of
   the 1949 Geneva Convention ("For the Amelioration of the Condition of
   the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field"). There is an
   unofficial agreement within the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
   that the shape of the cross should be a cross composed of five squares.
   However, regardless of the shape, any Red Cross on white background
   should be valid and must be recognized as a protection symbol in
   conflict. Of the 185 national societies which are currently recognized
   by the ICRC, 151 are using the Red Cross as their official organization
   emblem. In addition, the Red Cross is currently used by the national
   society of Tuvalu which has applied for official recognition.

Red Crescent

   The Red Crescent symbol.
   Enlarge
   The Red Crescent symbol.

   During the Russo-Turkish War from 1876 to 1878, the Ottoman Empire used
   a Red Crescent instead of the Red Cross because its government believed
   that the cross would alienate its Muslim soldiers. When asked by the
   ICRC in 1877, Russia committed to fully respect the sanctity of all
   persons and facilities bearing the Red Crescent symbol, followed by a
   similar commitment from the Ottoman government to respect the Red
   Cross. After this de facto assessment of equal validity to both
   symbols, the ICRC declared in 1878 that it should be possible in
   principle to adopt an additional official protection symbol for
   non-Christian countries. The Red Crescent was formally recognized in
   1929 when the Geneva Conventions were amended (Article 19). Originally,
   the Red Crescent was used by Turkey and Egypt. From its official
   recognition to today, the Red Crescent became the organizational emblem
   of nearly every national society in countries with majority Muslim
   populations. The national societies of some countries such as Pakistan
   ( 1974), Malaysia ( 1975), or Bangladesh ( 1989) have officially
   changed their name and emblem from the Red Cross to the Red Crescent.
   The Red Crescent is used by 33 of the 185 recognized societies
   worldwide.

Red Crystal

   The third protocol emblem, also known as the Red Crystal.
   Enlarge
   The third protocol emblem, also known as the Red Crystal.

   Because of the controversy over Israel's national society Magen David
   Adom and a number of other disputes, the introduction of an additional
   neutral protection symbol had been under discussion for a number of
   years, with the Red Crystal (previously referred to as the Red Lozenge
   or Red Diamond) being the most popular proposal. Other attempts have
   included Sri Lanka ( 1957) and India ( 1977) who tried to establish a
   Red Swastika and also efforts by the national societies of Kazakhstan
   and Eritrea to use a unique combination of the Red Cross and the Red
   Crescent, similar to the combination of both symbols used by the
   national society of the Soviet Union until its demise. However,
   amending the Geneva Conventions to add a new protection symbol requires
   a diplomatic conference of all 192 signatory states to the Conventions.
   The Swiss government organized such a conference to take place on
   December 5-6, 2005, to adopt a third additional protocol to the Geneva
   Conventions introducing the Red Crystal as an additional symbol with
   equal status to the Red Cross or Red Crescent. Following an unplanned
   extension of the conference until December 7, the protocol was adopted
   after a vote successfully achieved the required two-thirds majority.
   From the countries which attended the conference, 98 voted in favour
   and 27 against the protocol, while 10 countries abstained from voting.

   In the third Protocol the new symbol is referred to as "the third
   Protocol emblem". The rules for the use of this symbol, based on the
   third additional protocol to the Geneva Conventions, are the following:
     * Within its own national territory, a national society can use
       either of the recognized symbols alone, or incorporate any of these
       symbols or a combination of them into the Red Crystal. Furthermore,
       a national society can choose to display a previously and
       effectively used symbol, after officially communicating this symbol
       to the state parties of the Geneva Conventions through Switzerland
       as the depositary state prior to the adoption of the proposed third
       additional protocol.
     * For indicative use on foreign territory, a national society which
       does not use one of the recognized symbols as its emblem has to
       incorporate its unique symbol into the Red Crystal, based on the
       previously mentioned condition about communicating its unique
       symbol to the state parties of the Geneva Conventions.
     * For protective use, only the symbols recognized by the Geneva
       Conventions can be used. Specifically, those national societies
       which do not use one of the recognized symbols as their emblem have
       to use the Red Crystal without incorporation of any additional
       symbol.

   On 22 June 2006 the ICRC announced that the International Red Cross and
   Red Crescent Movement adopted the Red Crystal as additional emblem for
   use by the national societies. The ICRC also announced the recognition
   of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Israeli National
   Society, Magen David Adom (MDA).

Red Lion with Sun

   The Red Lion with Sun symbol.
   Enlarge
   The Red Lion with Sun symbol.

   From 1924 to 1980, Iran used a 'Red Lion with Sun' symbol for its
   national society, based on the flag and emblem of the Qajar Dynasty.
   The Red Lion with Sun was formally recognized as a protection symbol in
   1929, together with the Red Crescent. Despite the country's shift to
   the Red Crescent in 1980, Iran explicitly maintains the right to use
   the symbol. Therefore, it is still recognized by the Geneva Convention
   as a protection symbol with equal status to the Red Cross, Red Crescent
   and Red Crystal.

Red Shield of David

   The emblem of Magen David Adom for indicative use within Israel.
   Enlarge
   The emblem of Magen David Adom for indicative use within Israel.

   Magen David Adom, the national society of Israel, has used the Red
   Shield of David as its organization emblem since its foundation. The
   Red Shield of David was initially proposed as an addition to the Red
   Cross, Red Crescent, and Red Lion in Sun in 1931. The IRC proposal was
   rejected, amid IRC claims of fear of symbol proliferation. Israel again
   tried to establish the emblem as a third protection symbol in the
   context of the Geneva Conventions, but a respective proposal was
   narrowly defeated when the conventions were amended in 1949. As the Red
   Shield of David is not a recognized protection symbol under the Geneva
   Conventions, Magen David Adom's recognition as a national society by
   the ICRC was long delayed.

   It was not until 2006 that the ICRC officially recognized Magen David
   Adom. The adoption of the third protocol emblem paved the way for the
   recognition and admission of Magen David Adom as a full member of the
   International Federation, as the rules of the third protocol allow it
   to continue using the Red Shield of David when operating within Israel
   and provide a solution for its missions abroad. Though the organization
   only recently gained official recognition, it has had an excellent
   reputation within the Movement for many years and took part in many
   international activities, in cooperation with both the ICRC and the
   Federation, prior to its official recognition.

Mottos of the Movement, Commemoration Day and places of interest

   The International Red Cross Memorial in Solferino, Italy.
   Enlarge
   The International Red Cross Memorial in Solferino, Italy.

   The original motto of the International Committee of the Red Cross was
   Inter Arma Caritas ("In War, Charity"). This Christian-spirited slogan
   was amended in 1961 with the neutral motto Per Humanitatem ad Pacem or
   "With humanity, towards peace". While Inter Arma Caritas is still the
   primary motto of the ICRC (as per Article 3 of the ICRC statutes), Per
   Humanitatem ad Pacem is the primary motto of the Federation (Article 1
   of the Constitution of the Federation). Both organizations acknowledge
   the alternative motto, and together both slogans serve as the combined
   motto of the International Movement.

   The mission statement of the International Movement as formulated in
   the "Strategy 2010" document of the Federation is to improve the lives
   of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. From 1999 to
   2004, the common slogan for all activities of the International
   Movement was The Power of Humanity. In December 2003, the 28th
   International Conference in Geneva adopted the conference motto
   Protecting Human Dignity as the new Movement slogan.

   The 16th International Conference which convened in London in 1938
   officially decided to make May 8, the birthday of Henry Dunant, as the
   official annual commemoration and celebration day of the Movement.
   Since 1984, the official name of the celebration day has been " World
   Red Cross and Red Crescent Day".

   In Solferino, a small museum describes the history of the Battle of
   Solferino and of the Risorgimento, the long and bloody Italian struggle
   for independence and unity. In the Ossario di Solferino (Solferino
   Ossuary) in close proximity to the museum, a moving display shows the
   horrors of war. Inside the chapel, 1,413 skulls and many more bones
   from thousands of French and Austrian troops who died during the battle
   are shown. Solferino is also host to the International Red Cross
   Memorial inaugurated in 1959 on the centennial of the Battle of
   Solferino. The memorial contains stone plaques identifying each
   recognized national society. In Castiglione delle Stiviere, a small
   town near Solferino, the International Museum of the Red Cross was also
   opened in 1959. Moreover, another museum, the International Red Cross
   and Red Crescent Museum stands in Geneva in close proximity to the
   headquarters of the ICRC. Finally, in the Swiss city of Heiden, the
   Henry Dunant Museum was opened to preserve the memory and legacy of
   Dunant himself.

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