Symbols

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies uses as its "logo" two globally recognized emblems - the red cross and the red crescent - set on a white background within a red rectangle. The National Societies use or one or other of these emblems; either the cross or the crescent.

The emblems go back a long way. The red cross on a white background was formally adopted in the first Geneva Convention of 1864.

The red crescent was adopted by the Ottoman empire in 1876 during the war with Russia. It was recognized in the 1929 Geneva Convention along with the red lion and sun of Persia.

For National Societies, the emblem serves two purposes; it is "indicative" (it is their logo or identification when undertaking their normal work) and it is "protective" (a protective device when they, and the medical services of their country's armed forces, are involved in conflict.) The rules on the use of these emblems are defined in international law under the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

Under the conventions, states can only use one of the two emblems for the protection of the medical services of their armed forces. National Societies, too, can only use one emblem, that adopted by their government. Adopting one of these two recognized emblems is one of 10 conditions a National Society must fulfil in order to be officially recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and become a member of the International Federation.

The International Federation can use both emblems indicatively because it is neither a state nor a National Society.