An ICRC aid convoy in Daraya, Syria, in 2016
swissinfo.ch
On May 8, 1948, the first Red Cross Day was celebrated. swissinfo.ch delves into the archives and hears how the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has benefited people all around the world, plus the technical challenges of keeping in touch with overseas staff.
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I write articles on the Swiss Abroad and “Quirky Switzerland” as well as daily/weekly briefings. I also translate, edit and sub-edit articles for the English department and do voiceover work for videos.
Born in London, I have a degree in German/Linguistics and was a journalist at The Independent before moving to Bern in 2005. I speak all three official Swiss languages and enjoy travelling the country and practising them, above all in pubs, restaurants and gelaterias.
On May 8, 1958, the Swiss Short Wave Service (SWS), swissinfo.ch’s predecessor, produced “The Red Cross Around the Globe”, a 30-minute documentary which began with Henri Dunant’s experiences on the battlefield of Solferino in 1859 – which led to his founding the Red Cross – and then heard what the Red Cross was up to around the world.
In this heavily edited excerpt, journalist Lance Tschannen introduces correspondents who explain the progress made and challenges faced by the ICRC on all continents:
Keeping in touch with overseas staff has also been a logistical and technical challenge for the ICRC.
In this edited radio report from 1994, Swiss Radio International journalist James Nason visits the Geneva dispatch centre where he hears an example of a typical message transaction and is shown recording equipment that can take “as many as 15 kilobytes in one go”.
World Red Cross and Red Crescent DayExternal link is the result of an idea, introduced just after the First World War, for an annual event around the world that would contribute to peace. May 8 is the birthday of the Red Cross’s Swiss founder, Henri Dunant, the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize.
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Retracing the origins of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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Who was the father of the Red Cross?
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To mark World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, swissinfo takes a look at the man behind the myth, who helped create the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and initiate the Geneva Convention. This article is part of a forthcoming swissinfo dossier devoted to the Red Cross, which this year is celebrating the…
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Dressed in red and white and carrying flickering torches, Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers from around the world on Saturday night followed in the footsteps of those who took injured soldiers from the Solferino battlefield, 150 years earlier. The fiaccolata, or torch-lit march, was the highpoint of a week of events in the historical…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.