Historedia
EuropeEvent

ICRM renamed International Committee of the Red Cross

When
1876
Where
Geneva
Episodes
1

In 1876 the Geneva committee that had operated since 1863 as a "Permanent International Committee" continuing as the "International Committee for Relief of Wounded in the event of War" adopted the name International Committee of the Red Cross, its official designation today. The legacy row's 20 December 1875 date is not supported by the supplied passages.

Episodes

  1. 1876 · GenevaAdoption of ICRC Name

    The committee adopted the name International Committee of the Red Cross in 1876, which remains its official designation.

Background and detail

Background. The organization originated as a sub-committee of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare, whose five members first met on 17 February 1863. They declared the body a "Permanent International Committee" that would continue to exist as the "International Committee for Relief of Wounded in the event of War" after its mandate from the Geneva Society expired. In 1864 the conference it convened adopted the First Geneva Convention.

Renaming. In 1876, the committee officially adopted the name International Committee of the Red Cross. This designation remains its official title today. The renaming aligned the organization's identity with the emblem used to protect medical services and relief workers in armed conflicts.

Legacy. The renaming endured: the ICRC designation is still official today. Gustave Moynier, a 1863 sub-committee member, later left a mark on the committee's history as its longest-serving President, though the passages do not date his presidency. Henry Dunant's key role in the formation of the Red Cross was later recognized by an official congratulation from the committee.

People involved

  • Gustave Moynier · Sub-committee member (1863) and later the committee's longest-serving President; not linked by the passages to the 1876 renaming
  • Henry Dunant · Sub-committee member credited with a key role in the formation of the Red Cross; not linked by the passages to the 1876 renaming

Sources

  1. International Committee of the Red Cross Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-07

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.