The International Red Cross is an organization of three constituents. The oldest is the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), founded in 1863 by five Geneva citizens following the publication of Henri Dunant's A Souvenir of Solferino. The second is made up of the National Societies of the Red Cross, of the Red Crescent—in the moslem countries—and of the Red Lion and Sun in Iran. There are 114 such societies. There may be only one in each country. (In Israel there is a society similar to a Red Cross Society but it has not yet been admitted into the International Red Cross because its emblem—the Jewish Star—has not been accepted by the International Conferences.) The third constituent is the League of Red Cross Societies which was founded in 1919 and which is the federation of the National Societies. It too has its headquarters in Geneva. Its mission differs from that of the ICRC but the two institutions are linked by an agreement and they co-operate closely in certain cases. The ICRC also co-operates frequently with the National Societies which maintain direct connexion with it.

From 27 November to 3 December 1970, the President of the ICRC, Mr. Marcel A. Naville, accompanied by Mr. Pierre Basset, Assistant Director, and Mr. Serge Nessi, Delegate-General for Latin America, was in Nicaragua for the Ninth Inter-American Red Cross Conference, the report on which is given below. On route to Managua, Mr. Naville stopped in Venezuela and Panama.

“The stillness of the night was broken by groans, by stifled sighs of anguish and suffering. Heart-rending voices kept calling for help. Who could ever describe the agonies of that fearful night … There were few doctors, no nurses, no trained medical personnel. Dressings and the most essential medicaments were also lacking.” What Henry Dunant saw on the field of battle caused him to ask the question: “Would it not be possible, in time of peace and quiet, to form relief societies for the purpose of giving care to the wounded in war-time by zealous, devoted and thoroughly qualified volunteers?”.