World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is celebrated annually on May 8 and is established in honor of Swiss businessman, public figure and humanist Jean Henri Dunant (May 8, 1828 — October 30, 1910), who was born on this May day.
In the mid-19th century, on the initiative of Dunant, groups of volunteers began to be created for the first time to provide assistance to the wounded on the battlefields. And in 1863, on his own initiative, a conference was convened, which marked the beginning of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The name International Red Cross was officially approved in 1928 at the 13th International Conference in The Hague. The conference adopted the organization's charter, which was subsequently changed in 1952 and 1965. And Red Cross Day was first celebrated in 1948. The official name of the Day has changed over time, «World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day» has been around since 1984.
At the 25th International Conference of the Red Cross, held in October 1986, the new name of the organization — International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRC) was approved.
ICRC task — providing assistance to the wounded, sick and prisoners of war during armed conflicts, assistance to victims of natural disasters.
In Russia, the Red Cross Society was created in May 1867 under the name «Society for the care of wounded and sick soldiers». In 1918 it was transformed into the Proletarian Red Cross, in 1925 the Union of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the USSR was formed.
In 1992, in connection with the collapse of the USSR, the document «O on the liquidation of the Soviet Red Cross» was adopted. The legal successor of the SOKK and KP was the Russian Red Cross Society (ROCK), and today it is the All-Russian public organization «Russian Red Cross».
Currently, staff and volunteers of the International Red Cross work in many countries around the world. The Movement includes: the International Committee of the Red Cross, 192 ICRC national societies and the International Federation of ICRC Societies. And in honor of today's holiday, special campaigns and events are held around the world on May 8th.
The International Movement of the CC and the CP takes the opportunity to make itself known on this day and call on its compatriots to strengthen humanitarian activities in support of the most vulnerable segments of the population and victims of various accidents, disasters, natural disasters and armed conflicts.
In 2014, several anniversaries and memorable dates were celebrated for the international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement — this: the 150th anniversary of the creation of the first Geneva Convention in history (this convention was adopted by 12 states on August 22, 1864); 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War (July 28, 1914) and the establishment of the International Prisoners of War Agency (October 1914).
In this regard, employees and volunteers, veterans and activists of the Russian Red Cross, having joined the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of CC and CP Societies, held many different festive events dedicated to these memorable dates and united by a common theme: «150-year humanitarian activity».
Every year, festive events within the framework of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day are dedicated to one of the main activities of the movement. The fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntariness, unity and universality.