The Battle of Solferino was considered an important event at the time — it was the biggest European battle since the Napoleonic Wars, and it paved the way for the establishment of an independent Italy — but it’s faded from public memory outside of Italy. Dunant persuaded the Swiss government to host 12 countries for discussions about “The Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field.” The agreement that the countries reached, which bound them all to treat wounded enemy soldiers and allow the Red Cross to help with humanitarian aid in times of war, became known as the First Geneva Convention. Whereas it is essential… that human rights should be protected by the rule of law… Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations… Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom… Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Author: George Dillard
Published at: 2025-04-16 22:21:14
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