Conflicts & Resolutions · Treaty

First Geneva Convention

1864 · 19th century · Also known as Geneva Convention of 1864

The First Geneva Convention, signed in Geneva on 22 August 1864 by twelve states, was the first multilateral treaty of international humanitarian law. Prompted by Henry Dunant and the newly founded International Committee of the Red Cross, it required armies to care for wounded soldiers of all sides and protected medical personnel and hospitals, marked by the red cross emblem. It was revised and extended by later Geneva Conventions.

First Geneva Convention — Image: Frédéric Boissonnas · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). First Geneva Convention. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/first-geneva-convention
MLA: “First Geneva Convention.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/first-geneva-convention. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “First Geneva Convention.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/first-geneva-convention.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘First Geneva Convention’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/first-geneva-convention (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻