The Against Malaria Foundation ( AMF ) is a United-Kingdom based charity that provides long-lasting insecticidal nets to populations at high risk of malaria , primarily in Africa. The foundation has distributed more than 200 million nets since its creation.
75-674: Nets are distributed through partnerships with the International Red Cross , the Malaria Consortium , and others, with partners responsible for the costs of distribution. Distributions include malaria education for the local population, and they are documented through reports, photos, and video. Post-distribution check-ups are conducted by independent survey partners to assess net usage and conditions, typically after 9, 18 and 27 months. AMF has eight trustees and an advisory committee drawn from malaria experts around
150-683: A Sub-committee charged with the preparation of a Memorandum on these matters for submission to the Welfare Congress to be held in Berlin in September 1863. The members of this Sub-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
225-462: A committee consisting of amiable but somewhat ineffective Geneva gentlemen. That which calls itself "international" has grown rather provincial… New blood, new methods, a new and more comprehensive outlook, these things are necessary. The League was established in 1919 with Davison as its chairman. However, "Swiss aloofness or unilateralism was hard to overcome", and the relationship between the ICRC and
300-748: A lack of respect for the rules of the Geneva Conventions and their protection symbols. Among the slain delegates were: In 2011, ICRC launched the Health Care In Danger campaign to highlight risks to humanitarian healthcare workers. The original motto of the International Committee of the Red Cross was Inter Arma Caritas ("Amidst War, Charity"). It has preserved this motto while other Red Cross organizations have adopted others. Due to Geneva's location in
375-471: 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
450-698: A mark in the history of the committee as its longest-serving 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
525-510: A milestone of fundraising $ 500 million, coming from 919,371 donations from 185,318 people. International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC ) is a humanitarian organization based in Geneva , Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of rules of war and promoting humanitarian norms . State parties (signatories) to
600-605: A national relief society by the International Committee: 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
675-561: A new Convention "relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War," was established. Also, the additional protocols of 8 June 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,
750-480: 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
825-492: 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
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#1732793197921900-461: Is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal violence and to provide them with assistance." It also conducts and coordinates international relief and works to promote and strengthen international humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. The core tasks of the committee, which are derived from the Geneva Conventions and its own statutes are: The ICRC drew up seven fundamental principles in 1965 that were adopted by
975-4035: The [REDACTED] Cook Islands [REDACTED] Costa Rica [ es ] [REDACTED] Côte d'Ivoire [REDACTED] Croatia [REDACTED] Cuba [ es ] [REDACTED] Cyprus [REDACTED] Czech Republic [REDACTED] Denmark [REDACTED] Djibouti [REDACTED] Dominica [REDACTED] Dominican Republic [REDACTED] Ecuador [ es ] [REDACTED] Egypt [REDACTED] El Salvador [REDACTED] Equatorial Guinea [REDACTED] Eritrea [REDACTED] Estonia [REDACTED] Eswatini [REDACTED] Ethiopia [REDACTED] Fiji [REDACTED] Finland [REDACTED] France [REDACTED] Gabon [REDACTED] Gambia [REDACTED] Georgia [REDACTED] Germany [REDACTED] Ghana [REDACTED] Greece [REDACTED] Grenada [REDACTED] Guatemala [REDACTED] Guinea [REDACTED] Guinea-Bissau [REDACTED] Guyana [REDACTED] Haiti [REDACTED] Honduras [REDACTED] Hungary [REDACTED] Iceland [REDACTED] India [REDACTED] Indonesia [REDACTED] Iran [REDACTED] Iraq [REDACTED] Ireland [REDACTED] Israel [REDACTED] Italy [REDACTED] Jamaica [REDACTED] Japan [REDACTED] Jordan [REDACTED] Kazakhstan [REDACTED] Kenya [REDACTED] Kiribati [REDACTED] Korea, North [REDACTED] Korea, South [REDACTED] Kuwait [REDACTED] Kyrgyzstan [REDACTED] Laos [REDACTED] Latvia [REDACTED] Lebanon [REDACTED] Lesotho [REDACTED] Liberia [REDACTED] Libya [REDACTED] Liechtenstein [REDACTED] Lithuania [REDACTED] Luxembourg [REDACTED] Madagascar [REDACTED] Malawi [REDACTED] Malaysia [REDACTED] Maldives [REDACTED] Mali [REDACTED] Malta [REDACTED] Marshall Islands [REDACTED] Mauritania [REDACTED] Mauritius [REDACTED] Mexico [REDACTED] Micronesia, Federated States of [REDACTED] Moldova [REDACTED] Monaco [REDACTED] Mongolia [REDACTED] Montenegro [REDACTED] Morocco [REDACTED] Mozambique [REDACTED] Myanmar [REDACTED] Namibia [REDACTED] Nepal [REDACTED] Netherlands [REDACTED] New Zealand [REDACTED] Nicaragua [REDACTED] Niger [REDACTED] Nigeria [REDACTED] North Macedonia [REDACTED] Norway [REDACTED] Pakistan [REDACTED] Palau [REDACTED] Palestine [REDACTED] Panama [REDACTED] Papua New Guinea [REDACTED] Paraguay [REDACTED] Peru (suspended) [REDACTED] Philippines [REDACTED] Poland [REDACTED] Portugal [ pt ] [REDACTED] Qatar [REDACTED] Republika Srpska [REDACTED] Romania [REDACTED] Russia [REDACTED] Rwanda [REDACTED] Saint Kitts and Nevis [REDACTED] Saint Lucia [REDACTED] Saint Vincent and
1050-679: The 1907 Hague Convention X . The 1929 Geneva convention "relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War" may have been the second Geneva Convention from a historical point of view (because it was actually formulated in Geneva), but after 1949 it came to be called the third Convention because it came later chronologically than the Hague Convention. Reacting to the experience of World War II, the Fourth Geneva Convention ,
1125-473: The Geneva Convention of 1949 and its Additional Protocols of 1977 ( Protocol I , Protocol II ) and 2005 have given the ICRC a mandate to protect victims of international and internal armed conflicts . Such victims include war wounded persons, prisoners , refugees , civilians , and other non-combatants . The ICRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement , along with
1200-531: The Geneva Hygiene and Health Commission ; and Guillaume-Henri Dufour , a Swiss Army general of great renown. Eight days later, on 17 February 1863, the five men held the first meeting of the Sub-committee and decided the Sub-committee should declare itself constituted a "Permanent International Committee", which would thus continue to exist as an "International Committee for Relief of Wounded in
1275-602: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and 191 National Societies . It is the oldest and most honoured organization within the movement and one of the most widely recognized organizations in the world, having won three Nobel Peace Prizes (in 1917, 1944, and 1963). Up until the middle of the 19th 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
1350-646: The League of Red Cross Societies was founded on 15 May 1919, by the societies of Great Britain , France , Japan , Italy , and the United States . Davison, wanted the League of Red Cross Societies to supersede the ICRC in controlling the Red Cross action in international affairs. He argued that: It should be in reality, and not merely in name an International Committee, a Committee on which there will be representatives from all countries, instead of, as at present,
1425-577: The RCSC ) [REDACTED] Kosovo (non-member) [REDACTED] Macau (autonomous branch of the RCSC ) [REDACTED] Oman (non-member) [REDACTED] Ossetia, South (non-member) [REDACTED] SADR (pending recognition and admission) [REDACTED] Somaliland (non-member) [REDACTED] Taiwan (former member) [REDACTED] Transnistria (non-member) [REDACTED] Vatican City (autonomous branch of
1500-668: The Red Crystal . The Red Crescent was adopted by the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish war and the Red Crystal by the governments in 2005, as an additional emblem devoid of any national, political or religious connotation. The official mission statement says that: "The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral, and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission
1575-454: The 1990s. It broke its customary media silence when it denounced the Rwandan genocide in 1994. It struggled to prevent the crimes that happened in and around Srebrenica in 1995 but admitted, "We must acknowledge that despite our efforts to help thousands of civilians forcibly expelled from the town and despite the dedication of our colleagues on the spot, the ICRC's impact on the unfolding of
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#17327931979211650-634: 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, as part of the Restoring Family Links effort of the organization. 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
1725-740: The Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field". Representatives of 12 states and kingdoms signed the convention: 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
1800-1899: The Badisches Rotes Kreuz, Bayerisches Rotes Kreuz, and the regional associations of Bremen, Hamburg, Oldenburg, Hesse, and Berlin. Some current subdivisions are direct continuations of these earlier organizations, while others resulted from mergers or divisions of the former members. [REDACTED] Afghanistan [REDACTED] Albania [REDACTED] Algeria [REDACTED] Andorra [REDACTED] Angola [REDACTED] Antigua and Barbuda [REDACTED] Argentina [REDACTED] Armenia [REDACTED] Australia [REDACTED] Austria [REDACTED] Azerbaijan [REDACTED] The Bahamas [REDACTED] Bahrain [REDACTED] Bangladesh [REDACTED] Barbados [REDACTED] Belarus (suspended) [REDACTED] Belgium [REDACTED] Belize [REDACTED] Benin [REDACTED] Bhutan [REDACTED] Bolivia [REDACTED] Bosnia and Herzegovina [REDACTED] Botswana [REDACTED] Brazil [REDACTED] Brunei [REDACTED] Bulgaria [REDACTED] Burkina Faso [REDACTED] Burundi [REDACTED] Cambodia [REDACTED] Cameroon [REDACTED] Canada [REDACTED] Cape Verde [REDACTED] Central African Republic [REDACTED] Chad [REDACTED] Chile [ es ] [REDACTED] China [REDACTED] Colombia [REDACTED] Comoros [REDACTED] Congo [ it ] [REDACTED] Congo, Democratic Republic of
1875-576: The Committee published a report reviewing its war-era activities from 1 September 1939 to 30 June 1947. Since January 1996, the ICRC archive for this period has been open to academic and public research. In December 1948 the ICRC was invited, along with the IFRC and AFSC , by the United Nations to take part in a $ 32 million emergency relief programme working with Palestinian refugees. The ICRC
1950-788: The Congo , Ghana , Guinea , Malawi , Papua New Guinea , Togo , Uganda , and Zambia . Each net typically costs around US$ 5 to buy and distribute. AMF is supported by more than 100 corporations. AMF's founding partners are PwC , Citigroup , Speedo , Microsoft , Allen & Overy , Attenda , Vestergaard Frandsen , and Sumitomo Chemical . Speedo also partnered with AMF's precursor organization, World Swim Against Malaria, and continues to raise money for bednets through swimming events. AMF has also received more than 50 million US dollars from Open Philanthropy . AMF's works with partners such as Concern Universal , IMA World Health , and Episcopal Relief & Development . In March 2023, AMF reported
2025-593: The Federation-wide Databank and Reporting System (FDRS). It provides data insights on the world's largest humanitarian network of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world. Nauru , Niue , Oman , and the Vatican City are the states without national societies, along with the states with limited recognition , such as Abkhazia , Somaliland , South Ossetia , Transnistria . Nicaragua 's National Society, Nicaraguan Red Cross ,
2100-535: The French-speaking part of Switzerland, the ICRC is also known under its initial French name Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR). However, the ICRC has three official languages (English, French and Spanish). The official symbol of the ICRC is the Red Cross on white background (the inverse of the Swiss flag ) with the words "COMITE INTERNATIONAL GENEVE" circling the cross. Under the Geneva Convention,
2175-515: 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 parties to the conflict, 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. During the war,
2250-2003: The Grenadines [REDACTED] Samoa [REDACTED] San Marino [REDACTED] São Tomé and Príncipe [REDACTED] Saudi Arabia [REDACTED] Senegal [REDACTED] Serbia [REDACTED] Seychelles [REDACTED] Sierra Leone [REDACTED] Singapore [REDACTED] Slovakia [REDACTED] Slovenia [REDACTED] Solomon Islands [REDACTED] Somalia [REDACTED] South Africa [REDACTED] South Sudan [REDACTED] Spain [REDACTED] Sri Lanka [REDACTED] Sudan [REDACTED] Suriname [REDACTED] Sweden [REDACTED] Switzerland [REDACTED] Syria [REDACTED] Taiwan (Republic of China) [REDACTED] Tajikistan [REDACTED] Tanzania [REDACTED] Thailand [REDACTED] Timor-Leste [REDACTED] Togo [REDACTED] Tonga [REDACTED] Trinidad and Tobago [REDACTED] Tunisia [REDACTED] Turkey [REDACTED] Turkmenistan [REDACTED] Tuvalu [REDACTED] Uganda [REDACTED] Ukraine [REDACTED] United Arab Emirates [REDACTED] United Kingdom [REDACTED] United States [REDACTED] Uruguay [REDACTED] Uzbekistan [REDACTED] Vanuatu [REDACTED] Venezuela [REDACTED] Viet Nam [REDACTED] Yemen [REDACTED] Zambia [REDACTED] Zimbabwe [REDACTED] Abkhazia (no-member) [REDACTED] Cyprus, North (non-member) [REDACTED] Hong Kong (autonomous branch of
2325-613: 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 19 March 1993, affirmed the already long-standing policy of full independence of
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2400-475: 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 (South Africa). With the outbreak of World War I ,
2475-578: The ICRC because they were deemed as acting unduly on his own authority and risking the ICRC's neutrality. Only in 1990 was his reputation finally rehabilitated by ICRC President Cornelio Sommaruga . 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,
2550-423: The ICRC failed to obtain an agreement with Nazi Germany about the treatment of detainees in concentration camps, and it eventually abandoned applying pressure to avoid disrupting its work with POWs. There was no public condemnation of treatment in concentration camps, and a proposed 1942 appeal on the conduct of hostilities was abandoned. In addition, the ICRC failed to develop a response to reliable information about
2625-627: 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 15 October 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
2700-526: 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
2775-476: 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 16 October 1990, the UN General Assembly decided to grant
2850-425: The League became, and remained, a problem for years to come. The untimely death of Davison in 1922 after an operation will undoubtedly have had an adverse impact on the league’s ability to counter what he saw as Swiss intransigence. 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
2925-472: The Nazis. For the rest of the war, the Red Cross took its cues from Switzerland in avoiding acts of opposition or confrontation with the Nazis. On 12 March 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
3000-621: 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. The controversy surrounding Dunant's business dealings and
3075-583: 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
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3150-563: The battlefield. In June 1859, the Swiss businessman Henry Dunant travelled 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 Italian town of Solferino on the evening of 24 June, he witnessed the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino , an engagement in the Second Italian War of Independence . In
3225-411: The camps until the end of the war. Ten delegates, among them Louis Haefliger ( Mauthausen Camp ), Paul Dunant ( Theresienstadt Camp ) and Victor Maurer ( Dachau Camp ), 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
3300-530: 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. On 9 February 1863, the Geneva Society for Public Welfare held a meeting where it was decided to give serious consideration to the suggestions made in Dunant's book and appointed five of its members to form
3375-600: 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. The ICRC continued its activities throughout
3450-502: The concentration camps and delivered about 1.1 million parcels, primarily to the camps Dachau , Buchenwald , Ravensbrück , and Sachsenhausen . Swiss historian Jean-Claude Favez, who conducted an 8-year review of the Red Cross records, says that even though the Red Cross knew by November 1942 about the Nazi's annihilation plans for the Jews – and even discussed it with U.S. officials –
3525-401: The conditions of the detainees. The most reliable primary source on the role of the Red Cross during World War II are the three volumes of the "Report of the International Committee of the Red Cross on its activities during the second world war (September 1, 1939 – June 30, 1947)" written by the International Committee of the Red Cross itself. The report can be read online. The legal basis of
3600-468: The courageous acts of individual ICRC delegates at the time. On 4 October 2023 the committee issued a set of rules for civilian hackers to abide by . 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
3675-447: 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
3750-483: 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
3825-488: The entire Red Cross Movement. They are humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, volunteerism, unity, and universality. List of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement , the world's largest group of non-governmental organizations working on humanitarian aid , is composed of the following bodies: The data of the members of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies can be found on
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#17327931979213900-537: The event of War" after its mandate from the Geneva Society for Public Welfare had expired. Among other activities, the Committee organized an international conference in Geneva in October (26–29) 1863 to develop possible measures to improve medical services on the battlefield. 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
3975-428: 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
4050-519: The five members of the committee. The states and kingdoms represented by official delegates were Grand Duchy of Baden , Kingdom of Bavaria , Second French Empire , United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , Kingdom of Hanover , Grand Duchy of Hesse , Kingdom of Italy , Kingdom of the Netherlands , Austrian Empire , Kingdom of Prussia , Russian Empire , Kingdom of Saxony , United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway , and Spanish Empire . Among
4125-429: The group did nothing to inform the public, maintaining silence even in the face of pleas by Jewish groups. Because the Red Cross was based in Geneva and largely funded by the Swiss government, it was very sensitive to Swiss wartime attitudes and policies. In October 1942, the Swiss government and the Red Cross' board of members vetoed a proposal by several Red Cross board members to condemn the persecution of civilians by
4200-402: 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
4275-402: 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
4350-533: The local population to aid without discrimination. Back in his home in Geneva , he decided to write a book titled 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
4425-400: The organization has learned from the failure: In an official statement made on 27 January 2005, the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the ICRC stated: Auschwitz also represents the greatest failure in the history of the ICRC, aggravated by its lack of decisiveness in taking steps to aid the victims of Nazi persecution. This failure will remain part of the ICRC's memory, as will
4500-432: The proposals written in the final resolutions of the conference, adopted on 29 October 1863, were: 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. Sixteen countries sent a total of twenty-six delegates to Geneva. On 22 August 1864, the conference adopted the first Geneva Convention "for
4575-464: The red cross, red crescent and red crystal emblems provide protection for military medical services and relief workers in armed conflicts and is to be placed on humanitarian and medical vehicles and buildings. The original emblem that has a red cross on a white background is the exact reverse of the flag of neutral Switzerland. It was later supplemented by two others which are the Red Crescent , and
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#17327931979214650-561: 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 little interest in implementing this convention, and it
4725-534: 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 charged with fraudulent bankruptcy and a warrant for his arrest was issued. Thus, 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. The project resonated well with patriotic sentiments that were on
4800-547: The rise in the late-nineteenth-century, and national societies were often encouraged as signifiers of national moral superiority. 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
4875-522: The tragedy was extremely limited." It went public once again in 2007 to decry "major human rights abuses" by Burma's military government including forced labour, starvation, and murder of men, women, and children. By taking part in the 1995 ceremony to commemorate the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp , the President of the ICRC, Cornelio Sommaruga , sought to show that the organization
4950-497: 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. After the war ended, Henry Pomeroy Davison , who had been Chairman of the War Council of the American Red Cross pressed for the creation of an international organization to coordinate the work of the different national Red Cross societies. Based on his recommendation,
5025-634: The work of the ICRC during World War II was the Geneva Conventions (1929) revision, as well as the Convention relating to the International Status of Refugees , of 28 October 1933. 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
5100-592: 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
5175-400: The world. The charity is registered in the United Kingdom and governed by the laws of England and Wales . It is also registered in sixteen other countries, including the US, Germany, Canada, Japan, and South Korea . The World Swim Against Malaria was the brainchild of Rob Mather, a London-based strategy consultant. Mather had earlier organized a swim to raise money for a two-year-old girl who
5250-614: Was badly burned in a house fire. Held in December 2003, the "Swim for Terri" started as a three-person fundraiser and grew to include 10,000 swimmers in 73 countries. AMF was founded in 2004 in London. It is rated as a highly cost-effective charity by GiveWell . AMF was chosen as one of GiveWell's two highest-recommended charities (along with the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative ) in 2011 and has continued to be recommended by GiveWell since then. GiveWell estimated in 2023 that AMF's bed net program costs on average US$ 5,500 per life saved. Countries served by AMF include Democratic Republic of
5325-408: Was dissolved by Nicaragua's parliament on May 9, 2023. The German Red Cross (DRK) was founded in 1921, bringing together various independent Red Cross associations that had previously operated autonomously within the German states. These regional branches trace their origins back to the former independent members of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Examples include
5400-420: 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 original 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
5475-402: Was fully aware of the gravity of The Holocaust and the need to keep the memory of it alive, so as to prevent any repetition of it. He paid tribute to all those who had suffered or lost their lives during the war and publicly regretted the past mistakes and shortcomings of the Red Cross with regard to the victims of the concentration camps. In 2002, an ICRC official outlined some of the lessons
5550-469: Was given responsibility for the areas that are now the West Bank and Israel . On 12 August 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", now called the second Geneva Convention, was brought under the Geneva Convention umbrella as a successor to
5625-553: Was thus prevented from entering into force before the beginning of World War II. In the Interwar period , Bolivia and Paraguay were disputing possession of the Gran Chaco - a desert region between the two countries. The dispute escalated into a full-scale conflict in 1932. During the war the ICRC visited 18,000 Bolivian prisoners of war and 2,500 Paraguayan detainees. With the help of the ICRC both countries made improvements to
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