The Red Cross came into being at the initiative of Henry Dunant, a Swiss businessman and philanthropist, who assisted wounded soldiers at a huge military battle in a place called Solferino in Northern Italy in 1859. Seeing the suffering on the battleflied Dunant lobbied political leaders to take action to protect victims of armed conflicts.

Henry Dunant in 1862, published a graphic account of the aftermath of the battle, called ‘A Memory of Solferino’, which he used in his quest for a neutral and impartial organisation to protect and assist victims of war (ICRC).

He also suggested that voluntary relief societies should be established to care for the injured, which eventually lead to the formation of the International Commitee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on February 17, 1863. Today, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has become the largest humanitarian network in the world.

In 1901, Henry Dunant was awarded the first-ever Nobel Peace Prize for what was described as the ”supreme humanitarian achievement of the 19th century “.

Now, 150 years later, his legacy lives on in the tens of thousands of staff and volunteers who continue to help others around the world each day. The ICRC works in 80 countries around the world and assists over 14.2 m people annually through water, sanitation and construction projects.

The ICRC in Sri Lanka

The ICRC started working in Sri Lanka in 1989 to meet the humanitarian needs of people affected by the JVP uprising and then of  persons directly affected by the armed conflict with the LTTE in the East and the North.

In light of the current peace and the considerable achievements of the Sri Lankan Government in the post-conflict period, the ICRC aims to contribute to the work of Sri Lankan authorities and institutions.

Follow @timesonlinelk

comments powered by Disqus

The unsuccessful Peace Treaty

Earth Watch

The months of the year

Kids’ World

Beijing