Red Cross Flag

Facts about the Flag of Red Cross Flag

1. The emblem is the Swiss flag with its colours reversed, adopted in 1863 in honour of the country where the movement was founded.
2. It has legal protection under the Geneva Conventions, and misusing it in armed conflict is a war crime.
3. The Red Crescent was recognised as an alternative in the nineteenth century, and the Red Crystal was added in 2005 for parties that use neither.
4. The emblem of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in use since 1864. Its misuse is a war crime under international law.
5. The flag belongs to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It is used worldwide.
6. It was founded in 1863 by Henry Dunant.
7. It is based in Geneva.
8. It marks medical personnel, hospitals and vehicles as protected under the Geneva Conventions, and its misuse in war is a crime.
9. The flag was adopted in 1864.
10. The design is 162 years old as of 2026.
11. Construction: White field with a red Greek cross.
12. It is normally drawn to a ratio of 2:3, which makes it rectangular.
13. The flag uses 2 colours: white and red.
14. The white stands for neutrality and protection.
15. The red stands for the cross.
16. Red cross on white: The reverse of the Swiss flag, honouring the movement’s Swiss founder Henry Dunant — a protected emblem under the Geneva Conventions.
17. The emblem is the Swiss flag with its colours reversed, in honour of the country where the movement was founded.
18. It is filed here under International Organisation Flags, one of the categories of flag that belong to no country.