THE STANDING COMMISSION OF THE RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT AND ITS MEMBERS

Rajhumari Amrit Kaur
1952-1964
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur served as a member of the Standing Commission from August 1952
until 1964 (when she passed away), having been re-elected in November 1957. Although the
Standing Commission lost two members that year (General Gruenther retired), the
remaining members decided not to replace them as the next International Conference of the
Red Cross was only months away (the election of new members are voted on at the
Conference). 52 Amrit Kaur was born into the princely family of Kapurthala and was educated
at Oxford University, England. 53
She had a long and distinguished career in the Indian
government after having been active in the drive for Indian independence. With
independence in 1947, she was appointed as the Minister for Health and was the first
woman in the Indian Cabinet. In 1950, she was also elected as the first female President of
the World Health Organization. Amrit Kaur later became the President of the Indian Red
Cross Society, a post which she held for fourteen years. During her tenure, she founded the
Tuberculosis Association of India, the Central Leprosy Teaching and Research Institute and
52 IFRC archives
53 http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/rajkumari-amritkaur.html
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