On June 24, 1859, French and Italian troops confronted Austrian forces on the Lombard plains near Solferino. More than 40,000 soldiers were wounded or killed. They were left on the battlefield, suffering without food, water, first aid or shelter. A Swiss businessman, Henry Dunant was traveling through Italy. He witnessed the horrors of the Battle of Solferino and reached out to help the wounded soldiers, regardless of which side they had fought on. Haunted by what he had seen, Dunant wrote wrote a book called A Memory of Solferino. In it he explained, : "All can, in one way or another, each in his own sphere and within his own limitations, do something to help the good work forward." Dunant encouraged the creation of a neutral and impartial organization to protect war wounded – the body that would later become the ICRC. He suggested that voluntary relief societies should be established to care for the injured. In addition, he proposed that an international principle be created to serve as the basis for these societies, an idea that developed into the Geneva Conventions which will turn 60 in August. 

The Challenges of Our Time

Every day people around the world face challenges, such as war, hunger, poverty, displacement, separation of families, climate change and natural disasters. To remind people of this sad reality and encourage them to act, the world's largest humanitarian network launched the campaign "Our world. Your move." in May 2009, a campaign supported by Credit Suisse as a member of the ICRC Corporate Support Group. People around the world are called on to make a difference in the lives of others. Jakob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC, underscores the importance of the campaign, which is especially significant in times of economic crisis: "We are all responsible for making the world a better place. Each one of us can do a little bit to help others – whether it's by spending a little time with an elderly neighbor or by offering food and shelter to a family that has become homeless as the result of war.