Founding of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies was founded in Paris after the First World War, at the initiative of Henry Davison, an American banker who headed the American Red Cross war council. Its aim was to coordinate the peacetime work of national societies in public health and disaster relief. It was first called the League of Red Cross Societies, became the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in 1983 and took its present name in 1991. It is the world's largest humanitarian network, with national societies in almost every country, and its headquarters are in Geneva. It is distinct from the International Committee of the Red Cross, founded in 1863, which works mainly in armed conflicts.

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