60th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions

2009 sees the 60th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. The aim of the original Convention of 1864 was to improve the condition of the wounded of armies in the field. In 1907 a convention was agreed at The Hague which adapted previous provisions to cover the wounded of maritime warfare. A third convention adopted in 1929 detailed acceptable treatment of prisoners of war.

In August 1948 the XVII International Red Cross Conference was held in Stockholm, where 52 National Societies were represented. Representatives from the British Red Cross and the British government attended. They discussed revising the Geneva Conventions to include the protection of civilians in time of war.

The XVII International Red Cross Conference was followed in 1949 by the Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of International Conventions for the Protection of Victims of the War. After four months of debate, the Conference established the four Conventions:

· Convention I: for the improvement of the condition of the wounded and sick in armed forces in the field (revision and development of the Geneva Convention of 1929)
· Convention II: for the improvement of the condition of wounded, sick and shipwrecked members of armed forces at sea (revision and development of the Xth Convention of The Hague of 1907)
· Convention III: relative to the treatment of prisoners of war (revision and development of the Geneva Convention of 1929)
· Convention IV: relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war.

Discover more about the Geneva Conventions
Read more about the history of the British Red Cross
Tell us what you think about the Geneva Conventions at 60.