From May 7th to May 24th in the Documents of International Organizations Documents Reading Room (room 207g) is open a book exhibition “The grandeur of humanity, charity and voluntaryism” dedicated to the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.
This Day has been observed annually on May, 8th since 1953, according to the decision of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent. This holiday has been established in honor of the founder of the International Society of Red Cross, Swiss humanist, public figure and the Nobel Prize winner Henry Dunant (1828-1910) who was born this day. Henry Dunant had suggested creating a society for rendering assistance to wounded people and accepting a convention to protect wounded people and medical personnel in the battlefield. In 1863 on his initiative the conference had been convoked to start the International Society of Red Cross.
The official name the International Red Cross was approved in 1928 at the 13th international conference in the Hague where the Charter of the organization was accepted. Afterwards, the Charter changed twice: in 1952 and in 1965. At the 25th Red Cross international conference which took place in October 1986, the new name of the organization had been approved: the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is one of the major humanitarian organizations in the world. It unites more than 500 million persons in 186 countries. The Movement’s activities base on a unique network of voluntary helpers. Today more than 100 million volunteers aid and support 275 million people all over the world.
The mission of movement is to prevent or to facilitate sufferings of people, to guarantee human dignity, to carry out preventive health care, health protection and social security, inspiring the forces of good and humanism. Carrying out its mission, the Movement follows the basic principles including humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntariness, unity and universality.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement includes three major organizational structures:
- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
- 186 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
All these organizations are independent institutions having their own status, and none of them runs the others.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is the neutral independent organization founded in 1863. Its mission is to aid wounded and sick people and prisoners of war during armed conflicts. The ICRC protects and helps victims of conflicts, seeks for the missing, visits prisoners and provides food supply and medical care. The ICRC is the winner of three Nobel Prizes for peace (in 1917, 1944 and 1963). The Organization promotes tolerance and inadmissibility of discrimination, propagates the knowledge on the international humanitarian law, and carries out intermediary assistance.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS) was founded in 1919 to coordinate assistance in situations not connected with armed conflicts. It presides and coordinates international assistance to victims of natural and anthropogenic disasters, refugees, and also public health organizations in case of emergency. The International Federation is an official representative of member societies on the international scene and develops cooperation between national communities.
National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies act in 186 countries. Their purpose is to fulfill the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent in their countries.
The Belarusian Red Cross Society founded in 1921 is at present the biggest humanitarian organization of the country. After the USSR collapse the Belarusian Red Cross became independent and was incorporated by the Ministry of justice of the Republic of Belarus on August 15th 1991 as a volunteer non-governmental organization.On September 14th, 1995, in conformity with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus, the Belarusian Red Cross Society was authorized to assist the governmental bodies in humanitarian programs fulfillment.
The exhibition presents more than 60 documents in Russian and English: books, brochures, periodicals and booklets.
The exposition includes the subject section as follow:
- The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement: the history and the present;
- the International Red Cross and the international humanitarian law;
- the Belarusian Red Cross Society.
The exhibition is designed for specialists in the international humanitarian law, public health, physicians, students and professors in jurisprudence.
Useful links
- The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
- The International Committee of the Red Cross
- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
- The Belarusian Red Cross Society
- The Russian Red Cross
- The Russian Red Cross volunteers
- Geneva Conventions: the basis of the international humanitarian law
- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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