Jean-Henri Dunant

EARLY LIFE AND BUSINESS CAREER Jean-Henri Dunant, commonly known as Henry Dunant, was born on May 8, 1828, in Geneva, Switzerland. He grew up in a family influenced by religious commitment and charitable activity, and became involved in social and humanitarian causes while also pursuing a business career. His commercial interests included a milling venture in French-ruled Algeria. Difficulties obtaining the resources and permissions needed for the enterprise led him to seek an audience with Emperor Napoleon III. This business journey brought him to northern Italy in 1859. THE AFTERMATH OF SOLFERINO On June 24, 1859, the Battle of Solferino left large numbers of soldiers dead or wounded. Dunant encountered the suffering that followed and was shocked by the shortage of care available to the injured. He helped organise assistance with local residents, seeking aid for wounded men regardless of which army they belonged to. The experience became the turning point of his life and the basis of a campaign to make relief for war victims better organised. A MEMORY OF SOLFERINO In 1862, Dunant published A Memory of Solferino, describing what he had witnessed and proposing practical responses. He circulated the book to influential political, military and public figures. His proposals had two connected aims: voluntary relief societies should prepare in peacetime to assist wounded soldiers, and an international agreement should protect the wounded and those caring for them. He sought to turn an immediate act of compassion into durable institutions and shared commitments. THE RED CROSS AND THE GENEVA CONVENTION In 1863, a group of five men in Geneva took up these ideas and established the committee that became the International Committee of the Red Cross. Dunant served as its secretary. The initiative developed through the work of his colleagues, international conferences and the creation of national relief societies. In August 1864, representatives of twelve states adopted the first Geneva Convention. It addressed the treatment of wounded soldiers and protection for medical services in land warfare. These developments became foundational to the Red Cross movement and the subsequent development of international humanitarian law. FINANCIAL COLLAPSE AND LATER RECOGNITION Dunant’s humanitarian achievements were accompanied by severe business difficulties. His financial collapse in the 1860s damaged his reputation, and he left the Geneva committee in 1867. He spent years in difficult circumstances before settling in Heiden, Switzerland. An article by journalist Georg Baumberger in 1895 helped bring Dunant’s life and contribution back to public attention. Supporters renewed efforts to recognise the role he had played in launching the movement. THE FIRST NOBEL PEACE PRIZE In 1901, Dunant shared the first Nobel Peace Prize with the French peace campaigner Frédéric Passy. The award recognised humanitarian work and international understanding alongside the broader cause of peace. Dunant died in Heiden on October 30, 1910, aged 82. His legacy lies in helping establish the principle that people wounded in war should receive assistance without discrimination, and in inspiring organisations and agreements designed to put that principle into practice.