Fonds CH-ACICR/B - International Committee of the Red Cross, General Departments

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was created in 1863 at the instigation of Henry Dunant. The original goal was to coordinate national societies dedicated to the help of military medical services and to make the governments adopt and respect humanitarian rules during times of war. As a consequence, the first Geneva Convention was signed on 22 August 1864, compelling the armies to care for the wounded soldiers.
As the intervention of a neutral intermediary seemed needed, the ICRC's role of coordination of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies was extended to field operations.
Since the end of Wolrd War II, the ICRC acts for the civilians impacted by conflicts, for example in Israel and in Palestine. This commitment led to the establishment of the fourth Geneva Convention, in 1949, with dispositions regarding the protection of civilians.