World Red Cross Red Crescent Day is celebrated on 8th May each year. World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is an annual celebration of the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. This date is the anniversary of the birth of Henry Dunant who was born 8th May 1828 is the founder of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize.

History:

The idea for an “annual action that could take hold in the whole world would be a major contribution to peace” was introduced just after World War I and evolved out of the “Red Cross Truce, an initiative that was studied by an international commission established at the 14th International Conference of the Red Cross. Its results, presented to the 15th International Conference in Tokyo in 1934, was approved and having considered the principles of the truce, and its applicability across different regions of the world, the General Assembly of the International Federation of the Red Cross Societies asked the League of the Red Cross Societies to study the feasibility of adopting an annual International Red Cross Day.

Two years later, the proposal was adopted and the first Red Cross Day was celebrated on 8 May 1948. The official title of the day has changed over time, and it became “World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day” in 1984. And now, we celebrate this day every year on May 8^th.

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement:

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

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 organisations. The movement’s parts are:

The ICRC is a private humanitarian institution founded in 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland, in particular by Henry Dunant and Gustave Moynier. 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 ICRC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on three occasions (in 1917, 1944 and 1963).

The IFRC was founded in 1919 and today it coordinates activities between the 190 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. In 1963, the Federation was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the ICRC.

National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies exist in nearly every country in the world. Currently 190 National Societies are recognized by the ICRC and admitted as full members of the Federation. Each object 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. In many countries, they are tightly linked to the respective national health care system by providing emergency medical services.

The objectives of the World Red Cross Day:

> It is celebrated to provide relief and peace to the injured people to prevent death rate due to the disasters of any kind.

> It helps in initiating active efforts all over the world to reduce casual death rate because of epidemic illnesses.

> It helps people living in the vulnerable areas to manage the public health emergencies.

> It empowers its members, civil societies and other involved local communities to provide immediate response to the health disasters in the vulnerable situations.

> It helps in reinstating the human dignity.

> Geneva conventions help in monitoring the compliance of warring parties. 

> It helps the wounded people on the battlefield by organizing the nursing care.

> It avails the treatment for prisoners of war and help in searching the missing persons during conflict.

> It avails protection and nursing care to the people in civil populations.

Theme of World Red Cross Day 2018:

World Red Cross Day theme of 2018 is “Memorable smiles from around the world”.