World Red Cross Day

After the ravages of World War I, an idea emerged that the world needed an annual action to support those in need and take hold of the world. This resulted in the uniting of the Red Cross Societies across the globe and assigning a special day to this noble endeavour.

Red Cross Day, Source: Latestly

Every day of the calendar represents some international or national days, dedicated to a particular purpose, personality or a historical feat. However, there are a few of them which encompass all the issues related to humanity, in other words, dedicated to humanitarian causes, be it the climate, health, pandemics, education or women. World Red Cross and Crescent Day is one of such days.

Although the World Red Cross Day came to be only after the world wars, the seed for its establishment was sown way back in 1859 when the Battle of Solferino was fought. The grave consequences of that war, destruction of people and property deeply disturbed a Swiss Businessman, Henry Dunant who became determined to start a movement to help people affected by such happenings. He started the Red Cross movement and designed its notable flag, which looks like an inverted Swiss Flag.

He went on to establish the International Committee of the Red Cross and even won the first Nobel Peace Laureate. Quite justifiably, the World Red Cross Day is also celebrated on the birthday of Henry Dunant, which is 8 May. The international committee of the Red Cross spread worldwide and centres were opened in various countries, and the number of volunteers working for humanitarian causes increased year by year.

Fast forward to some decades into the future and the world was again grappling with the ravages of World War I. The international community started yearning for healing and peace and a notion of an ‘annual action that could hold in the whole world’ was born. This idea was deliberated upon in the 14th International  Conference of the Red Cross which was held in 1934. A Red Cross Truce was formed and its principles were discussed and approved in the next conference which was held in Tokyo, this was a milestone towards establishing a dedicated day for the Red Cross society. Things were still moving at a slow pace but a sense of urgency came after the World War II. In 1946, the League of Red Cross societies revisited the Tokyo proposal and finally, the first Red Cross Day was celebrated on 8 May, 1948. The principles of this day also include the Geneva Convention.

With time the name of the day evolved to 'World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day' in 1984, to recognise the work done by the Red Cross in Islamic countries. At present, there are 189 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world with more than 97 million staff and volunteers. This shows the unwavering commitment of the organisation to the principles of humanity, universality and voluntary service.

The themes of the Red Cross Day are wide-ranging, from Climate in 2009 to Youth in 2012. But the overarching theme of the day always revolves around humanistic values, from spreading love and kindness to bringing inclusivity. The theme of the current year, 2023, is  “Everything we do comes from the heart” which aims to celebrate and honour all those who have stepped up to lend a helping hand to those in need.

Today, when the world is grappling with the horrors of natural calamities, man-made wars, pandemics, poverty and inequality, there is an ever-increasing need for organisations like the Red Cross. It is not only a beautiful homage to Henry Dunant who first envisioned this idea, but also to the global world.