History of PMI Day

Dated May 8 is celebrated every year as the Day of the International Red Cross and Crescent International. This date was taken from the Henry Dunant's birthday. Beginning of the commemoration was established in London in 1938 through an international conference.

Henry Dunant was born May 8, 1828 in Geneva, Switzerland, and later became a successful businessman in Europe. In June 1859 he traveled to Italy to meet French emperor Napoleon III to discuss the difficulties faced by the businessmen in Algeria, then a French colony.

When stopped at a small town of Solferino on June 24, 1859, Dunant was directly witnessed the Battle of Solferino, which related to Austro war - Sardinian. In only one day of about 40,000 soldiers from the two sides were killed or wounded and abandoned.

Seeing the fact that Dunant cancel the original purpose and he decided for a few days to help wounded soldiers. He successfully motivate local residents to lend a hand regardless of which side of the wounded soldiers. 

Once back in Geneva, Dunant wrote a book A Memory of Solferino, published in 1862. In the book he explicitly describes the formation of a national volunteer organization to assist the treatment and care during wartime army. He also called for the establishment of international agreements which guarantee the neutrality and protection to people who were wounded in the war, against medical personnel and hospitals.

On February 9, 1863 Henry Dunant with four famous people from a prominent family in Geneva founded the Committee of the Five, an investigative commission to the Geneva Society for Public Welfare. Dunant thought aim to test feasibility and to organize an international conference to discuss the possibility of applying these ideas.

Eight days later the five members of the Committee of the Five change the name of the commission became the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded. During 26 to October 29, 1863 the committee successfully organized an international conference in Geneva. The conference aims to develop standards that can improve medical care on the battlefield. As many as 36 people attended, consisting of official representatives of 18 governments, six delegates of NGOs, representatives of seven other countries, and five committee members.

Of the many topics discussed, the conference ultimately produce: the establishment of basic institutions of national recovery for wounded soldiers; neutrality and protection for wounded soldiers; utilization of volunteers to help recovery in the field of battle; additional conference to endorse these concepts according to law international agreements; introduce distinctive protection symbol for medical personnel in the field of white cloth with a red cross in the middle.

In 1867 Henry Dunant business bankruptcy. Algeria business built on a total failure, caused more concentration Dunant who switched on tireless efforts to build international committee for the victims of war. Dunant threatened imprisonment. He was forced to leave Geneva and never returned to her hometown until the end of his life.

1901 Henry Dunant was awarded the Nobel Prize given for the first time in honor of the efforts done in developing a system of medical services for victims of war and build institutions of the Red Cross. 

Nine years after winning the Nobel Prize, Henry Dunant died in Heiden. Two months after that Dunant colleague who holds the presidency of the international committee Gustave Moynier also died.

 PMI-Indonesia 

The establishment of the Red Cross in Indonesia actually started before World War II, precisely October 12 1873.Pemerintah Dutch Colonial built in the Indonesian Red Cross with the name Roode crotch Afdeeling Nederlandsche Indie (NERKAI) which was disbanded during the Japanese occupation.

The struggle to establish the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) began in 1932. The event was spearheaded by Dr. and Dr. RCL Senduk Bahder Djohan with drafting the formation of PMI. The design of such widespread support, especially from among the intelligentsia of Indonesia, and submitted to the Assembly Narkei Conference in 1940, but was rejected outright. 

The design is kept waiting for the right. As relentless as the Japanese occupation, they again tried to establish the National Agency for the Red Cross, but again the effort was a hindrance from the Government of the Japanese Army so that for the second time the draft is re-stored. 

PMI formation process started 3 September 1945 when President Sukarno ordered that Dr Boentaran (Ministry of Health Cabinet I) to form a national Red Cross agencies. 

Assisted by a committee consisting of five persons as the Chairman of Mochtar R dr, dr Bahder Djohan as a writer and three members of the committee is Djoehana Wiradikarta dr, dr Marzuki, dr Sitanala, preparing for the establishment of the Indonesian Red Cross Society. Exactly a month after independence, 17 September 1945, PMI was formed. Historic occasion was until recently known as PMI Today. 

PMI's role is to assist the government in the social sphere of humanity, especially kepalangmerahan duties required under the provisions of the Geneva Conventions in 1949 which has been ratified by the Indonesian government in 1958 through Law No. 59. 

As a national association of legitimate, PMI stood by the Presidential Decree No. 25 year 1925 and confirmed its activity as the only national association that runs the organization's task kepalangmerahan through Presidential Decree No. 246 in 1963. 

Now, in a variety of PMI's commitment to humanitarian activities such as the 2010 Strategy is about improving the lives of vulnerable communities through promoting principles of humanitarian values, disaster response, disaster preparedness, health and care in the community, Hanoi Declaration contains the handling of the program on disaster management issues, disease prevention, teens and seniors, in partnership with governments, organizations and resource capacity management as well as public relations and promotions, as well as the Plan of Action is a decision of the Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent to-27 in Geneva Switzerland in 1999. At the conference the Government of Indonesia and the PMI as a participant states in the field of humanitarian pledges. 

International conferences seeking safety and medical care for soldiers on the battlefield continued. The Conference of the Red Cross to strengthen the organization's position to do so, is growing not only provide services on the battlefield, but also during natural disasters. Role of the Red Cross felt once in World War I and II. During the war thousands of human lives saved thanks to the swift motion and the hard work of these humanitarian organizations. 

In the midst of the world that are affected by various crises, the soul kerelawanan course very necessary to help alleviate the suffering of others. Movement of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Movement), a global campaign roll out simultaneously throughout the world. Now hundreds of countries around the world affiliated with the International Red Cross. 

This campaign calls and invites the public to conduct humanitarian actions under the slogan "Our World, Your Action" (Our World, Your Move). PMI has started a global campaign to introduce the children to the world kerelawanan. In the spirit of the global campaign, children children believed to be agents of change to peers and help make the world a better place. 

7 Basic Principles of the Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent International Humanitarian

Similarity

Neutrality

Autonomy

Volunteerism

Unity

Totality