Origins

In February of 1863 in Geneva，Switzerland，the Société genevoise d'utilitépublique［Geneva Public Welfare Society］set up a committee of five Swiss citizens to look into the ideas offered by Henri Dunant in his book Un Souvenir de Solferino——ideas dealing with protection of the sick and wounded during combat.The committee had as its members：Guillaume Henri Dufour（1787-1875），a general of the Swiss army and a writer of military tracts who became the committee's president for its first year and its honorary president thereafter；Gustave Moynier（1826-1910），a young lawyer and president of the sponsoring Public Welfare Society，who from this time on devoted his life to Red Cross work；Louis Appia（1818-1898）and Théodore Maunoir（1806-1869），both medical doctors；and Henri Dunant himself.

Guided by Moynier's talent for organization，the committee called an international conference for October of 1863 which，with sixteen nations represented，adopted various pertinent^[2]resolutions and principles，along with an international emblem^[3]，and appealed to all nations to form voluntary units to help wartime sick and wounded.These units eventually became the National Red Cross Societies，and the Committee of Five itself eventually became the International Committee of the Red Cross，with Gustave Moynier as its president（1864-1910）both before and after it took this name.

As a result of the 1863 Conference，which hoped to see its Red Cross principles become a part of international law，an international diplomatic meeting was held at Geneva the following year at the invitation of the Swiss government.The assembly formulated the Geneva Convention of 1864.This international“Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field”included provisions guaranteeing neutrality for medical personnel and equipment and officially adopting the red cross on a field of white as the identifying emblem.It was signed on August 22，1864，by twelve states and was later accepted by virtually all.

The work of the Red Cross had been inaugurated^[4].

Three other conventions were later added to the first，extending protection to victims of naval warfare，to prisoners of war，and to civilians.Revisions of these conventions have been made from time to time，the most extensive being that of 1949.

Although the Red Cross has always given major service and often accomplished herculean^[5]tasks during time of war，it has achieved even greater service in its gradual development and operation of humanitarian^[6]programs that serve continuously in both peace and war.