World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
A global day marking the birthday of Henry Dunant, founder of the Red Cross movement, celebrating humanitarian and emergency medical work worldwide.
Date8 May
TopicHealth
Established1948
Ways to observe this day
- Donate blood through your nearest Red Cross or Red Crescent center
- Volunteer with your national Red Cross or Red Crescent society
- Learn about the fundamental principles of humanitarian work
- Support relief campaigns for crisis-affected regions
May 8 marks the birthday of Henry Dunant, born in 1828, the Swiss businessman who was moved by the suffering he witnessed after the Battle of Solferino in 1859 and organized local volunteers to care for the wounded regardless of allegiance. His account, "A Memory of Solferino," inspired the 1864 Geneva Convention and the founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross; Dunant later shared the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1900.
First observed in 1948 as "International Red Cross Day," the observance was officially renamed "World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day" in 1984 to reflect the religious and cultural diversity of a movement that now includes national societies in nearly 192 countries.
National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies mark the day with blood donation drives, volunteer appreciation events, and campaigns explaining the movement's core principles — neutrality, impartiality, and independence — while highlighting relief efforts in conflict zones and disaster-affected areas around the world.
