The day of the First Geneva Convention – level 3

22-08-1864

In 1859, there was a war between France and Austria. On June 24, the crucial battle of the war took place in the north of Italy.

Shortly after the battle, the Swiss businessman Henry Dunant arrived on the site. He was shocked by what he saw. The battlefield was covered by thousands of wounded soldiers on both sides. No one cared about them, and they suffered or died under horrible conditions.

Dunant began organizing care for the wounded and asked for help from local people. He promoted the motto that they were all brothers and that a wounded man deserved help, no matter what uniform he was wearing. When Dunant returned to Geneva, Switzerland, he wanted to call an international conference that would improve care for soldiers wounded in a war.

On August 22, 1864, the Swiss government invited the governments of other countries to Geneva. The aim of the meeting was to sign a convention that would improve the condition of soldiers wounded in battle. The convention was signed by 12 states.

Difficult words: site (a place where something has happened), wounded (injured), convention (an official agreement).

What were the actions taken by Henry Dunant after witnessing the aftermath of the crucial battle of the 1859 France-Austria war, and how did they lead to the signing of the Geneva Convention in 1864?

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