In 1863, from October 26 to 29, an International Conference was held in Geneva, convened by the International Committee for Relief to Wounded Soldiers, that group of five men — the offspring of the Geneva Public Welfare Society — which later assumed the title of International Committee of the Red Cross. An invitation had been sent out on September 1, followed a fortnight later by a “Supplement to the Convocation to an International Conference in Geneva”, the initiative for which had been taken by Dunant and Basting in Berlin.

The 31 people who responded and who attended the meeting at the Palais de l'Athénée were met by Dufour, Dunant, Moynier, Appia and Maunoir. Sixteen States and four philanthropic societies were represented. Justice demands that tribute be paid to the participants for it was they who, fired by the enthusiasm of the five Genevese, implanted the Red Cross in their countries. They were: