Instrumental Individuals

Henri Dunant (1828-1910) was a Swiss business man and social activist who first proposed having the Geneva Conventions and The International Committee of the Red Cross. Dunant was inspired in his work when during a business trip in Italy in 1859 he witnessed the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino and wrote a book about his experiences. He began to travel in Europe promoting his ideas for a neutral organization

to care for wounded soldiers. For his efforts creating the ICRC, he was awarded the first-ever Nobel Peace Prize with Frédéric Passy (founder of the Peace League). Later he was taken off the ICRC committee and expelled from Geneva over a bankruptcy scandal.

Clara Barton (1821-1912) was an American nurse, teacher, and humanitarian activist who is most famous for organizing the American Red Cross. She established an agency to distribute supplies to soldiers during the American Civil War. She advocated for the United States to ratify the First Geneva Convention

Diagram of Conventions This diagram shows the progression of the Geneva Conventions and how the Hague Conventions were incorporated into the current treaties.

Map of Signatories In this image, the dark green are countries that have signed the four Geneva Conventions, the light green means that those countries have promised to sign, or have agreed to the conventions by some other means than accession. The gray countries haven’t joined the Geneva Conventions.

Internationally Recognized Symbols The Red Cross, Red Crescent, and Red Crystal symbols were

created by the Geneva Conventions to protect aid workers during wartime. All three symbols are used interchangeably.

The Geneva Conventions A Cornerstone In Human Rights Policy

What are the Geneva Conventions? Summary The Geneva Conventions are the cornerstone of international human rights treaties. The treaties take their name from the city in which the meetings are held: Geneva, Switzerland. The “Geneva Conventions” are actually four Conventions and three additional Protocols added more recently. The Geneva conventions cover the treatment of soldiers, sailors, prisoners of war, and civilians. The treaties have primarily done two things: (1) identified war crimes and (2) helped create the Red Cross and similar organizations. The Geneva Conventions are widely used as an authority on what a “war crime” is. War crimes are crimes against humanity (torture, depriving large amounts of people of what they need to survive, or using far more violence than necessary to win a war) and can be punished by international law. For instance the Geneva Convention of 1949 has been used in the International Criminal Court to determine what constitutes a war crime. The Geneva Conventions also have created the most often used symbols for religious and medical personnel that identify them as noncombatants, saving many thousands of lives. To borrow the words of Knut Dörmann, (Head of the Legal Division, International Committee of the Red Cross), “Not all the positive effects of the Geneva Conventions can be reflected in concrete figures. That does not mean that they do not exist. ICRC delegates, in armed conflicts around the world, can testify that they do. We know, for instance, that the distinctive emblems of the red cross and the red crescent have protected innumerable hospitals, medical units and personnel as well as numberless wounded and sick persons. These emblems, which derive their protective value from the Geneva Conventions, are known throughout the world.” (The Geneva Conventions Today, London, 2009)

Influence on other Worldwide Policies The Geneva Conventions were the first international policy laying down humanitarian laws. The white flag of parley or surrender and the notion of honor predate the Geneva Conventions, but these were unwritten rules of war. The first treaty introduced the idea of having laws that protected people internationally; before The First Geneva Convention, protecting peoples’ human rights was considered a national responsibility, if it was considered at all. The Geneva Conventions have influenced the development of the Hague Conventions banning some modern weapons (which were in part absorbed into the Geneva Conventions). The Geneva Conventions also laid the groundwork for the formation of The League of Nations and The United Nations and NGOs (non-governmental organizations).

Effects of Nuremburg Trials A precedent that was set by the Geneva Conventions during the Nuremburg trials was that the treaty rules apply not only to signatories of the treaties, but also to non-signatory countries. During the trials, German Nazis were punished because they broke the Geneva Conventions and The Hague Conventions even though Germany wasn’t a signatory of these treaties at the time. This precedent means that with enough popular support worldwide, a treaty can be forced upon other non-signatory countries.

Illegality of certain weapons and actions The Geneva Conventions outlawed many types of warfare and weapons. Biological weapons, nuclear weapons, and many more weapons have been outlawed and as a result are not often used. More importantly, the Geneva Conventions have forbidden a great number of strategies as being overly violent (terrorism, hostage taking, destroying dams or nuclear power plants, and many more) and as a result, these tactics are not used by the major world powers. When these tactics and weapons are used (or threatened to be used) there is an international outcry against those parties.

Geneva Convention Timeline 1859 The Battle of Solfernino inspired Henri Dunant to

call the first Geneva Convention

1864 Geneva Convention I establishes humane treatment for soldiers who become injured, surrender or become prisoners of war. They are to be fed, not murdered, and are to receive medical treatment. It also established the red crescent and red cross as symbols for non-combatant aid givers who are not to be fired upon.

1899 First Hague Convention banned some modern weapons deemed too cruel or effective such as hollow point bullets and chemical warfare. It was often broken in WWI.

1906 Geneva Convention II extends the first convention to war at sea

1907 Second Hague Convention banned firing projectiles from airplanes. It was deemed a failure, but the Hague conventions ultimately led to the first two protocols which have been much more successful.

1914-1918 WWI During the war, the Red Cross symbol protected aid workers who were helping the injured. All nations agreed to follow the Hague Conventions for the treatment of prisoners of war.

1919 League of Nations was formed to prevent a return of WWI. The United Nations succeeded it.

1931 Geneva Convention III outlines humane treatment for prisoners of war, updating and expanding on The Hague Conventions and the previous Geneva Conventions.

1939-1945 WWII Japan was not a signatory of the Geneva Convention and did not respect the Red Cross symbol or follow the POW laws leading to death rates that were seven times higher than POWs in Germany or Italy. The Holocaust and Nuremburg trials inspired the expansion of the Geneva Conventions’ protection to civilians in 1949.

1945 UN founded

1945-1946 Nuremburg Trials of Nazis war criminals establish that non-signatories of the Hague and Geneva Conventions are bound by them.

1949 Convention IV extends the protections of the Geneva Conventions to civilians. It was a response to WWII and the Nuremburg Trials.

1977 Protocol I updates all the prior conventions to address weapons used since WWII and Protocol II extends The Geneva Conventions’ protections to civil wars.

2005 Protocol III adds the “Red Crystal” to the existing Red Cross, Red Lion and Sun, and Red Crescent because the existing symbols are difficult to draw or have religious connotations.

References: "ClaraBarton." Wikipedia - The free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Barton>. "Geneva Conventions." Wikipedia - The free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions>. "Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907." Wikipedia - The free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec 2010. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hague_Conventions_(1899_and_1907)>. "Henry Dunant." Wikipedia - The free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec 2010. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Dunant>. "The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols." International Committee of the Red Cross, 29/10/2010. Web. 7 Dec 2010. <http://www.icrc.org/eng/war-and-law/treaties-customary-law/geneva-conventions/overview-geneva-conventions.htm>. Dörmann, Knut. "The Geneva Conventions Today." International Committee of the Red Cross, 29/10/2010. Web. 7 Dec 2010. <http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/statement/geneva-conventions-statement-090709.htm>. Toman, Jiri. "War Crimes: Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity." Enotes, 29/10/2010. Web. 7 Dec 2010. <http://www.enotes.com/genocide-encyclopedia/war-crimes>. The map of countries that are in the Geneva Conventions comes from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Geneva_conventions.png under the GNU Free Documentation license The diagram of the Hague and Geneva Conventions over time is under the same license and is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Geneva_Conventions_1864-1949.svg

The text of four Geneva Conventions: Geneva Convention I For the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the

Field Geneva Convention II For the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of

Armed Forces at Sea Geneva Convention III Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War Geneva Convention IV Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War

(all found at http://worldinbalance.net/intagreements/index.php) And the text of the Geneva Conventions’ Protocols:

Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts

Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts

Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem (Found on icrc.org) Compiled by Ezra Davis Expeditionary class 10th

Human Rights Project 12/7/10

Thesis The Geneva Conventions are important to Human Rights Policy because they are: • One of the first worldwide conventions on this issue, and influenced many later treaties, • Widely known and adopted, 194 countries have signed onto parts of the conventions, and • Are living documents currently in use (the most recent Protocol was written in 2005).