World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is an annual celebration of the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. World Red Cross Red Crescent Day is celebrated on 8 May each year.
"Tutti Fratelli!"
"We are brothers and sisters", exclaimed the women of Castiglione after the devastating battle of Solferino in 1859. With these very words, they supposedly sparked the flame of Humanity among the wounded and dying soldiers, while providing them with care and assistance, regardless of which side they had fought for.
Their courage, compassion and kindness in saving lives and alleviating suffering amid the chaos of war inspired Henry Dunant, whose birthday anniversary and founding legacy of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement we celebrate today.
Together, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams not only respond to emergencies—such as earthquakes, conflicts, migration crises, and health epidemics—but also help neighborhoods prepare for future disasters and ensure that children receive the vaccines they need to stay healthy.
Their network is active in nearly country and are in some of the most dangerous places— a true front-line organization that helps those most impacted by conflict and disaster.
For example, six months after a series of deadly earthquakes, nearly half a million people in west, north and east Lombok, Indonesia, are staying in small shelters they have cobbled together from plastic, tarpaulins or materials salvaged from their nearby damaged or destroyed houses.Doe
The idea for an "annual action that could take hold in the whole world ... that would be a major contribution to peace" was introduced just after World War I.
This initiative, known as the "Red Cross Truce", was studied by an International Commission established at the 14th International Conference of the Red Cross. Its report, presented to the 15th International Conference of the Red Cross in Tokyo in 1934, was approved.
It was only after World War II, in 1946, that the Tokyo proposal was studied by the League of Red Cross Societies (LRCS), renamed the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in 1991.
Two years later, having considered the principles of the truce and its applicability across different regions of the world, the proposal of an annual International Red Cross Day was adopted and the first Red Cross Day was celebrated on 8 May 1948. The official title of the day changed over time, and became "World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day" in 1984.
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