The Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and its Member Biographies updated 11 January

THE STANDING
COMMISSION OF THE
RED CROSS AND RED
CRESCENT AND ITS
MEMBERS
Biographies of
Previous and
Current Standing
Commission
Members
1930-2015

Foreword
This little booklet has been produced by the Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red
Crescent as an informative and, hopefully, interesting read into the lives of those who
voluntarily dedicated their time, wisdom and courage not only to the Standing Commission
but to the Movement as a whole.
The Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent was created at the 13 th Red
Cross Conference in the Hague in 1928. It was set up, in part, to be the connecting force
between the International Committee of the Red Cross and the League (today the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies). Since then, the Standing
Commission has been the trustee of the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red
Crescent (the highest deliberative body of the Movement), which is held every four years.
During this Conference, five National Society members are chosen to be the elected
members of the Standing Commission. In addition to the elected members, the Standing
Commission consists of four ex officio members (the Presidents of the ICRC and the IFRC as
well as the Deputy Director of the ICRC and the Secretary General of the IFRC) but as these
are set roles they are not included in this booklet.
We thank them for their hard work, their continuous upholding of the fundamental
principles and the tireless passion they have shown for their humanitarian work.
Geneva, 16 January 2016
1

Prince Tokugawa Iyesato
1930-1938
Prince Tokugawa Iyesato was a member of the Standing Commission between 1930 and
1938. He was elected Chairman in 1934, a post he filled until 1938. 1 He left Japan in 1877 to
study in Britain for five years. Upon his return, he received his princedom and in 1903, he
was appointed chairman of the House of Peers of the Diet of Japan. In 1928, Prince
Tokugawa was appointed as the 7th President of the Japanese Red Cross Society. In 1933, he
told the Executive Council of the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: "The ideal
of the Red Cross is a notion common to the world, but today there are so many problems
which would encourage the world to fall apart ". He urged the 1934 International
Conference in Tokyo to "serve for humanity, while disregarding the hatred held by States". 2
1 Standing Commission
2 http://www.redcross.int/en/history/not_Tokugawa.asp
2

Prince Tokugawa was born on August 24 th 1863 in Tokyo and died on June 5 th 1940 in Tokyo,
Japan.
3

Lady Novar (Helen Hermione Hamilton-Temple-
Blackwood)
1930-1934
Lady Novar (Helen Hermione Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood) served as a member of the
Standing Commission from October 1930 until October 1934. Before becoming a member of
the Standing Commission, she had been tirelessly and effectively working for the Movement
for many years.
Lady Novar’s younger years were spent in various countries owing to her father’s
distinguished diplomatic and crown appointments. In 1889 she married Ronald Munro
Ferguson who was a Member of Parliament. Lady Helen became a member of the Council of
the Scottish Branch, British Red Cross Society from 1909 to 1912, and foundation President
of the local Red Cross in Fife, being a passionate advocate of Red Cross ideals and principles.
In 1914 Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson GCMG was appointed Governor-General of Australia.
When war was declared in August 1914, Lady Helen created a Red Cross Headquarters at
Government House in Melbourne, founding Red Cross divisions and branches in each State.
4

She held her position as foundation President of the Australian Branch of the British Red
Cross Society until 1920. Lady Helen was regarded as a brilliant leader and an excellent
public speaker. On return to the UK in 1920 Sir Ronald was created Viscount Novar and Lady
Novar became Viscountess Novar. Intermittently from 1920 to 1932, she served on the
Board of Governors of the League of Red Cross Societies, first representing the Australian
Branch and from 1927, the Australian Red Cross Society. 3 She was also President of the
Kirkcaldy branch of the Queen Victoria Nursing Association, a position she held for over 50
years, as well as being President of the Young Women’s Christian Association for over 25
years. As a strong-willed and independent-thinking woman who wished not only to be
known in conjunction with her husband, she preferred in a working capacity to be known as
Lady Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood. Viscountess Novar continued her Red Cross service
representing the Australian Red Cross on the League of Red Cross Societies’ Board of
Governors and at International Conferences of the Red Cross in 1921, 1928 and in 1930
when she was elected to the Standing Commission for one term.
She was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Law (LL.D.) and in 1918 was invested as a
Dame Grand Cross, Order of the British Empire (G.B.E.) due to her work for the British Red
Cross Society. 45 She was the daughter of Fredrik Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1 st Marquess
of Dufferin and Ava, and was married to Lord Novar from 1889 until his death in 1934, a
union that was childless. Lady Novar was born on March 14 th 1863 in Bangor, Northern
Ireland and died on April 9 th , 1941 in Scotland as Viscountess Novar. 6
3 British Red Cross
4 http://thepeerage.com/p5787.htm#i57864
5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Munro-Ferguson,_Viscountess_Novar
6 Standing Commission
5

Marquis de Hoyos (José María de Hoyos y Vinent
de la Torre O’Neill)
1930-1934
7
The Marquis de Hoyos (José de Hoyos y Vinent) served as a member of the Standing
Commission from October 1930 until October 1934. Attracted by a military career, he
entered the General Academy in 1891 and in 1896 he was promoted to lieutenant of
Artillery, later he was also appointed Commander-in-Chief of Madrid three times. In 1923,
he became President of the Supreme Assembly of the Spanish Red Cross, during which time
he introduced important reforms that, among other things, made it easier to provide help
during the Morocco campaign. During the same year, he was also appointed as Spain's
official representative at the 11th International Conference of the Red Cross. Whilst serving
on the Standing Commission, the Marquis de Hoyos was also the major of Madrid (1930-
7
http://www.iberlibro.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=7200823867&searchurl=an%3Dmarques%2Bde%2Bhoyos
%2Bjose%2Bmaria%2Bde%2Bhoyos%2By%2Bvinent%26amp%3Bbsi%3D0%26amp%3Bds%3D30
6

1931) and was later appointed Minister of the Interior in the cabinet of Juan Bautista Aznar-
Cabañas, which was the last government before the fall of the monarchy in Spain and the
birth of the republic. During his long working-career he was, amongst many things, also
President of the Guadalquivir Salt Marshes Company, CEO of Tabacalera, CEO of Ford Motor
Ibérica and CEO of Spanish Lifetime Bank. Throughout his career he received many awards,
such as the Grand Collar of Carlos III, Crosses of Military Merit, the Grand Badge of Honour
and Merit of the Spanish Red Cross and the distinction of Grand Officer of the Legion of
Honour of France, as well as holding several titles such as Knight of Zaragosa and fourth
Marquis de Vinent. 8 He wrote a memoir called “Mi Testimonio” (My Testament) about his
experiences and the state of the Royal Family, which was published posthumously in 1962. 9
The Marquis de Hoyos was born in San Sebastian in 1874 and died in Madrid in 1959. 10
8 Spanish Red Cross
9 http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mar%C3%ADa_de_Hoyos_y_Vinent
10 Standing Commission
7

Pierre Nolf
1930-1934
Pierre Nolf served as Chairman of the Standing Commission from October 1930 until October
1934. Nolf was a doctor of medicine and former government minister who tended civilian
and military casualties in World War One. After the war, he returned to working at
universities and became a professor but his main interest was scientific research. In 1922 he
was appointed Belgian Minister of Sciences and Art. In 1925, Nolf was nominated by royal
decree as President of the Belgian Red Cross. His presidency saw an expansion of existing Red
Cross services and the creation of others, such as an ambulance service. He remained
President until 1945. Nolf, who obtained his medical degree at the University of Liege in
1896, was a member of several prestigious institutions in Belgium, including the Royal
Academy for Sciences and the Royal Academy for Medicine. 11 Nolf was born on July 26 th 1873
in Ypres and died in Brussels on September 14 th 1953. 12
11 http://www.redcross.int/en/history/not_Nolf.asp
12 Standing Commission
8

Torolf Prytz
1930-1934
Mr Torolf Prytz served as a member of the Standing Commission from October 1930 until
October 1934. Before joining the Red Cross Movement, he was the Norwegian Minister for
industrial Provisioning (1917-1918), as a politician representing the Liberal Party. From 1922
until 1930, he was President of the Norwegian Red Cross. He also sat on the Board of the
National Institute of Technology (1916-1935) and the Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts
(1929-1934). Prior to his political career, he was a goldsmith and led the goldsmith company
J. Tostrup from 1890 to 1938, having inherited it from his grandfather-in-law. Mr Prytz
studied in Hannover, Germany to become an architect. He was made a Commander of the
Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and a Knight of the French Legion of Honour. He was born
on December 26 th 1858 and died on June 16 th 1938. 13
13 Standing Commission
9

Sir Arthur Stanley
1934-1946
14
Sir Arthur Stanley was a member of the Standing Commission between 1934 and 1938,
serving as its Chairman from 1938 till 1946, when he retired due to health issues. Count
Folke Bernadotte was chosen to step in as Chairman between 1946 and 1948. By the time
Arthur Stanley became chairman of the International Council (previous name of the Standing
Commission), he had spent a professional lifetime as a philanthropist, politician and a senior
member of the British Red Cross Society. His early professional life was spent as a diplomat
in Egypt. From 1898 to 1918 he was a Conservative Member of Parliament.
Arthur Stanley began his Red Cross career in 1905 and from 1914 he was appointed
Chairman of the Executive Committee of the British Red Cross Society (BRCS), a post he held
for 29 years. Throughout the First World War he was also Chairman of the Joint War
Committee of the BRCS and the Order of St John of Jerusalem which provided joint services
14 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Arthur_Stanley.jpg can also use picture from:
http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw72248/Sir-Arthur-Stanley
10

to sick and injured servicemen, prisoners of war and civilians needing relief. He made field
visits to France and Italy and introduced the first motor ambulances for use in France in
1914. Sir Arthur played a key part in the post-war discussions which led to the founding of
the League of Red Cross Societies (today known as the IFRC). In 1938, he chaired the XVIth
International Red Cross Conference in London, when he was elected to the Standing
Commission.
The outbreak of World War Two in 1939 saw Stanley again elected as chairman of the Joint
War Organisation of the British Red Cross Society and of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.
Stanley’s concerns were not confined to Britain. He was a key player in an initiative taken by
the American, British, French, Italian and Japanese Red Cross societies to expand the role of
the Red Cross from its focus on World War One relief by establishing the League of Red Cross
Societies, later the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Stanley was permanently disabled and frequently in pain after contracting rheumatic fever in
the 1880’s, but this did not hamper his activities throughout two world wars. 15 Sir Arthur
was renowned for his ability to charm committees and devoted his life with enthusiasm to
seeking the relief of suffering. He received numerous honours, including being made a
Commander of the Legion d’Honneur in 1920. 16 Sir Stanley was born on November 18 th 1869
in Watford and died on November 4 th 1947 in Eastbourne. 17
15 http://www.redcross.int/en/history/not_Stanley.asp
16 British Red Cross
17 Standing Commission
11

Dr Alvaro Carlos Tourinho
1934-1938
Dr Tourinho was a member of the Standing Commission between 1934 and 1938. 18 He was
the President of the Brazilian Red Cross Society between 1930 and 1942, during which time
he was officially designated by the Brazilian Government to head the Brazilian delegation at
the Sixteenth International Conference in London in 1938. However, due to ill health Mr
Tourinho could not travel and it was headed by the then Vice-President of the Brazilian
National Society, Dr Daniel de Carvalho. Outside of the movement, General Álvaro Carlos
Tourinho was Director of Health of the Brazilian Army and was honoured with both the
Commander of the French Legion Medal of Honour and Honorary Member of the Academy
of Medicine of Rio de Janeiro. He died in May 1960 in Rio de Janeiro. 19
18 Standing Commission
19 Brazilian Red Cross Society
12

Dr Ibrahim Refik Saydam Bey
1934-1938
Dr Refik Saydam was a member of the Standing Commission between 1934 and 1938. He
graduated from the Military School of Medicine, graduating with the rank of Doctor Captain
in 1905. While working as a doctor he created a medicine to cure typhus, which was mostly
used by the Central Powers during World War One. He was also a key person during the
Turkish War of Independence and during his tenure as Prime Minister he was known as a
reformist. He was very politically active and became Health Minister three times (1921-1921,
1923-1924 and 1925-1937), Minister of Education (1933-1933) and ultimately the 4 th Prime
Minister of Turkey in 1939, an appointment he held until his death in 1942. He was born on
September 8 th 1881 in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire and died on July 8 th 1942 in Istanbul,
Turkey. 20
20 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refik_Saydam
13

1934-1937
General D. Ricardo Burguete y Lana
General Burguete y Lana was a member of the Standing Commission between 1934 and
1937. Outside of the Movement, he was previously the Captain General of Madrid, and had
fought for Spain in Morocco. 21 General Burguete y Lana was born in 1871 and died in 1937.
21 Alvarez, José. “The Betrothed of Death: The Spanish Foreign Legion During the Rif Rebellion, 1920-27”,
Greenwood Press, 2001. Pg. 83
14

1938-1948
Dr Chao Phya Bijayanati (Dun Bunnang)
Dr Chao Phya Bijayanati Dun Bunnag was a member of the Standing Commission from June
1938 until August 1948. He originally trained as a lawyer and already at the age of 26 was
appointed Chief Judge of the Civil Court. 22 Prior to joining the Standing Commission, he was
a member of the Thai Red Cross Council between 1924 and 1939, and served as its Vice-
President from 1932 till 1939. ). One of his sons, a medical doctor, Dr Danai Bunnag, who
passed away in 2014, was also a member of the Thai Red Cross Council. Outside of the
Movement he was the Minister for Justice in the Siamese Government and then the Minister
of Lands and Agriculture. 23 He received the first constitution of Siam from King Rama VII and
was the first Chairman of the National Assembly (Speaker of Parliament). As for his name, in
Thai the name Chao Phya was a rank of nobility and Bijayati was a royally bestowed title. His
22 http://www.khamkoo.com/uploads/9/0/0/4/9004485/the_journal_of_the_siam_society_vol._xxxvi_part_1-
2_1946.pdf
23 Standing Commission
15

name was Dan and his surname was Bunnag. He was born on June 6 th 1875 and died on July
24 th 1946. 24
24 Thai Red Cross
16

Dr Pedro Vignau
1938-1948
Dr Pedro Vignau served as a member of the Standing Commission from June 1938 until
August 1948. Prior to joining the Standing Commission, he was a member of the Argentine
Red Cross and stepped down as its President in 1944. 25 Outside of the Movement, he had a
long and distinguished career in medicine and received several awards for his work. After
graduating with a Doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires in 1907, he went on to be a
Professor at the Department of Chemistry at the National College of Buenos Aires, only one
of several positions he held throughout his life. 26 He was born February 6 th 1878 in
Gualeguaychú, Argentina and passed away, at 79, on September 27 th 1957. 27
25 Standing Commission
26 http://www.cnba.uba.ar/mheq/colecciones/mvv015
27 http://www.biol.unlp.edu.ar/vignau-h.htm
17

Axel Hultkrantz
1938-1948
Mr Axel Hultkrantz served as a member of the Standing Commission from June 1938 until
August 1948. His career began in the Army when he became the Second Lieutenant of the
Crown Prince’s Hussar Regiment in 1891. He eventually rose to become Major General in
1926. During World War One, he was Secretary of the Board of the Swedish Red Cross (1907-
1915) and President of the Swedish Red Cross from 1916 until 1926. He was born on April
11 th , 1870 in Uppsala and died on July 22 nd , 1955 in Stockholm. 28
28 Standing Commission
18

Senator Giuseppe de Michelis
1938-1948
Senator Giuseppe De Michelis served as a member of the Standing Commission from June
1938 until August 1948. Before joining the Standing Commission, he was the President of the
Italian Red Cross and a member of the Council of Governors of the League of Red Cross
Societies in Paris. He completed his undergraduate studies in Switzerland, where he had
moved in 1890. In 1901 he graduated in medicine from the University of Lausanne and for
some years, until 1905, he was Assistant to the Chair of Hygiene, Bacteriology and
Experimental Medicine at the University of Geneva. In the same period and at the same
university he attended Law and Management to get a second degree. He was Commissioner-
General of emigration 1919-1927, after which he enjoyed a long career as an Italian
diplomat, with the rank of ambassador and politician as a Senator of the Kingdom of Italy. 29
From 1928 he represented Italy in numerous major conferences and international
commissions. 30 From 1925 to 1933 he presided over the International Institute of Agriculture
29 Italian Red Cross
30 https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_De_Michelis
19

and the National Institute of Credit for Italian workers abroad. He was born in Pistoria on
April 6 th , 1872 and died in Rome on October 12 th , 1951. 31
31 Standing Commission
20

Ali Rana Tarhan
1948-1952
Mr Ali Rana Tarhan served as a member of the Standing Commission from August 1948 until
August 1952. Prior to joining the Standing Commission, he was the President of the Turkish
Red Crescent. He graduated from Mekteb-i Sultânî (Galatasaray High school) in 1900, where
he learned French, German and English. Mr Tarhan started to work as an officer in the
Ministry of Postal and Telegraph Postal Affairs Department in 1902 after working as a
Turkish teacher in Mekteb-i Sultânî and as a clerk in the Ministry of Education Corresponding
Secretariat. Following various different government departments, he was elected as a
member of the parliament from Canik (Samsun) in the 3 rd term of the Turkish Grand National
Assembly in 1927. In a short amount of time, he became the Head of the Financial
Commission. He participated at the International Parliaments Commercial Conference, which
was held in Paris in 1928 on behalf of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. He was
appointed as the first Minister to the Ministry of Customs and Monopoly, which was
established during Ismet Inonu’s term as the Prime Minister, and unremittingly continued his
position from 1931 to 1939. He continued to work in several different positions before his
21

death. He was buried next to his father’s grave. Mr Tarhan’s daughter Mrs Ferhan Nezahat is
still alive and married to Prof. Dr Bedîi Feyzioğlu. His son Abdülhak Tayfur Zihnî Tarhan
(1911-1994) was appointed as a Professor of Business Administration Economics and the
Head of Galatasaray University of Engineering, a private school, in 1969. 32 Mr Tarhan was
born in Istanbul in 1882 and died on March 25 th , 1956. 33
32 Turkish Red Crescent
33 Standing Commission
22

André François-Ponçet
1948-65
André François-Ponçet served as a member of the Standing Commission from August 1948
until October 1965 and served as Chairman between 1952 and 1965, having been re-elected
in November 1957. 34
During his tenure, he steered the Standing Commission through
troubled waters and it is in large measure due to his wisdom and diplomatic skills that the
International Red Cross was in such a strong position when he left in 1965 to become the
Vice-Chairman of the League. As President of the French Red Cross (1955-1967), he
deepened the international involvement of the French Red Cross, which contributed
financially and promoted the cause of the International Red Cross. François-Ponçet began his
career in the French Diplomatic service and was the French Ambassador to Germany (1931-
38) and Italy (1938-40) 35 . In 1938, only weeks after British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain signed the "peace in our time" Munich Pact with Hitler, François-Ponçet met
Hitler before leaving as ambassador to Rome and initiated talks that led to the similar
34 Standing Commission
35 Standing Commission
23

Franco-German agreement of November 23. He returned to France in June 1940, but was
deported and interned in 1943 in Austria, where he remained until 1945. 36 After the war, he
was French government adviser for German affairs. In June, 1949, he was appointed High
Commissioner of the French Republic in Germany. François-Ponçet was born to a family of
magistrates in 1887. In 1913, a year before World War One, he wrote "What German Youth
is Thinking", a work that created a sensation. 37 In 1973 he received the Henry Dunant medal.
François-Ponçet was born on June 13 th 1887 in Provins, France and died on January 8 th 1978
in Paris. 38
36 French Red Cross
37 http://www.redcross.int/en/history/not_Poncet.asp
38 Standing Commission
24

Count Folke Bernadotte
1946-1948
39
Count Folke Bernadotte was elected as Chairman of the Standing Commission in 1948;
however he was assassinated on September 17 th 1948 by the armed Jewish Zionist group
Lehi. 40 Before being elected to the Standing Commission, he was chosen to step in as its
Chairman from 1946 till 1948 when Sir Arthur Stanley retired. Prior to joining the Red Cross
Movement, he represented his native Sweden in numerous capacities. He was the Director
of the Swedish Boy Scouts (1937) the Swedish Commissioner General at the New York
World’s Fair (1939-1940). Later in 1943, he was appointed as the Vice-President of the
Swedish Red Cross. During the Second World War, he was involved in the organisation of
prisoner exchanges. In so doing, he had to interview Heinrich Himmler, one of Adolf Hitler’s
most feared henchmen. After World War Two he took up the post of mediator for the
39
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=count+folke+bernadotte+images&qpvt=count+folke+bernadotte+ima
ges&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=FBC85679D83BF952FB3BAC6F220BEAC98EBB0403&selectedIndex=6
40 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folke_Bernadotte#cite_note-1
25

United Nations in the Arab-Israeli conflict. He was President of the Eighteenth International
Red Cross Conference in in Stockholm in 1948, only a month before he was assassinated.
Count Bernadotte studied at the Military Academy Karlberg and became a Cavalry Officer in
1915 and a Lieutenant in 1918. He was born on January 2 nd , 1895 and died on September
17 th , 1948. 41
41 Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
26

Lord Woolton (Fredrick Marquis, 1 st Earl of
Woolton)
1948-1952
Lord Woolton (Frederick James Marquis) served as a member of the Standing Commission
from August 1948 until November 1952. He was active in both business and the public
service, and undertook both Red Cross and ministerial responsibilities. During the First
World War, he served as an official in the War Office and then at the Leather Control Board.
Post-war, he became a successful businessman, advised government committees and was
knighted in 1935.
In May 1939 Sir Frederick Marquis was appointed honorary adviser to the Secretary of State
for War, and was created Baron Woolton in mid-1939. From 1939-40 Lord Woolton became
director-general of Equipment and Stores in the Ministry of Supply and from 1940-43 was
brought into government as a non-party Minister for Food, at a time when food was being
rationed. The famous Woolton Pie, created during this time to enable a nutritional diet
27

despite food shortages and rationing, was named after him. 42 For twenty years, from 1943-
63, Lord Woolton was Chairman of the Executive Committee of the British Red Cross Society
(BRCS). At the same time he continued his non-party government appointments: he was a
member of the War Cabinet 1943-45, Minister of Reconstruction 1943-45, and then Lord
President of the Council 1945 (again in 1951-52). In 1945 he attended the first post-war
meeting of the Board of Governors of the League of Red Cross Societies in Paris.
Lord Woolton joined the Conservative party when appointed its chairman by Winston
Churchill in 1946. From September 1946 to May 1947 he served as Vice-Chairman of the War
Organization of the BRCS and the Order of St John of Jerusalem. He then became Chairman
of the Joint Committee of the Order of St John and the BRCS administering funds from joint
war-time activities. In 1948 Lord Woolton co-led (with Angela Limerick) the BRCS delegation
to the XVIIth International Red Cross Conference in Stockholm, where he was elected a
member of the Standing Commission. In the UK, Lord Woolton’s contacts as a cabinet
minister helped to facilitate the UK ratifying the 1949 Geneva Conventions in 1957. 43
Lord Woolton was born on August 23 rd , 1883 in Salford and died on December 14 th , 1964 in
Arundel. 44
42 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolton_pie
43 British Red Cross
44 Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
28

Tom Wilmott Sloper
1948-1965
Mr Tom Willmott Sloper served as a member of the Standing Commission from August 1948
until October 1965, having been re-elected in both August 1952 and November 1957. Mr
Sloper first began working for the Movement in 1945 when he joined the Brazilian Red Cross
as a Member of the National Board of the Finance Commission. He rose quickly to become
the Vice-President and then President of his National Society. Internationally, he has been
involved in the work of the Movement. Whilst working at the Standing Commission, he took
part in discussions about the Fundamental Principles and played an active role in the
development of the Movement. His extensive knowledge of the Movement and of its leaders
enabled him to play a key role in delicate negotiations on subjects of lasting importance such
as the statutes of the Movement. For many years, he was also a Member of the Finance
Commission of the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. He received the Henry
Dunant medal in 1985. 45
45 Standing Commission
29

Henrik Beer
1948-1950
Mr Beer was a member of the Standing Commission between 1948 and 1950. When Count
Folke Bernadotte was assassinated in 1948 (not long after having been elected Chairman of
the Standing Commission), Mr Beer stepped in as one of the members and François-Ponçet
took over as Chairman and Lord Woolton became Vice-Chairman. However, in 1950 Justice
Sandstrom of Sweden was elected as President of the IFRC and Mr Beer (also from Sweden)
voluntarily stepped down to avoid making it appear that Sweden was in a privileged
position. 46 During World War Two, he became involved with the Swedish Red Cross when he
was put in charge of coordinating neutral Sweden’s relief efforts for war victims. He was
Secretary General of the Swedish Red Cross until his appointment to the Geneva
headquarters in 1960. He was the Secretary General of the League of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies from 1960 until his retirement in 1981. During his tenure he travelled to
over 80 countries, including many war zones, as well as overseeing the increase in
46 The Eighteenth International Conference of the Red Cross Records
30

membership societies go from 86 to 126. 47 He was born in 1915 in Stockholm and died on
May 25 th 1987 in Geneva.
47 http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/26/obituaries/henrik-beer-71-of-the-red-cross.html
31

Dr Boris Pachkov
1952-1957
Dr Boris Pachkov served as a member of the Standing Commission from August 1952 until
November 1957. 48 Prior to joining the Standing Commission, he was a Soviet delegate to
several meetings of the Red Cross Movement and in 1950 Pachkov submitted a resolution to
the 21 st meeting of the board of governors of the League of the Red Cross Societies asking
the Red Cross to work for “peaceful ideals and the prohibition of atomic weapons”. 49 He was
also a member of the Executive Committee of the Alliance of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies of the USSR and was a part of the principal staff members who welcomed ICRC
President Leopold Boissier, First Vice-President Dr Marcel Junod and Executive Director Mr
Roger Gallopin when they visited the USSR in 1960. 50
48 Standing Commission
49
http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/Geneva%20NY%20Daily%20Times/Geneva%20NY%20Daily%20Tim
es%201950%20Oct-Dec%201950%20Grayscale/Geneva%20NY%20Daily%20Times%201950%20Oct-
Dec%201950%20Grayscale%20-%200212.pdf “Soviets Ask Ban Against A-Bombs”, Article in the Geneva Daily
Times, Geneva, N.Y., Monday, October 16 th 1950.
50 http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/pdf/RC_Supp-Jul-1960.pdf
32

James Thomas Nicholson
1951-1957
Mr James Thomas Nicholson served as a member of the Standing Commission from 1951
until November 1957. Although Mr Nicholson was asked to join the Standing Commission in
1951, due to the death of Count Bernadotte and the election of Justice Emil Sandstrom as
President of the IFRC 51 , he was officially elected as a member in 1952, a post he kept until
1957. 52 Prior to joining the Standing Commission, he served as National Director of the
American Junior Red Cross (1939-1942) and the Vice-Chairman in charge of the American
Junior Red Cross in Washington DC, a post he first took up in 1942. He later became the
Executive Vice-President of the American Red Cross. In this capacity, he worked to provide
assistance to rebuild Europe after the damage of the Second World War. He worked in
tandem with the German Red Cross to provide relief for the sick and wounded in Trieste,
Italy and Krakow, Poland. Internationally, he was also an American delegate to the XV th and
XVI th International Conferences and present at numerous regional meetings. 5354
51 Henrik Beer had been chosen to become a member when Count Folke Bernadotte was assassinated in 1948,
however, in 1951 Justice Sandstrom was elected President of the IFRC and as both these men were Swedish Mr
Beer volunteered to step down in order to avoid Sweden having an unfair representative advantage.
52 Fifteenth International Conference of the Red Cross Report
53 Standing Commission
54 http://www.jta.org/1940/01/26/archive/red-cross-blocked-in-efforts-at-supervision-threatens-to-halt-polishrelief
33

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). 55 Amrit Kaur was born into the princely family of Kapurthala and was educated
at Oxford University, England. 56
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
55 IFRC archives
56 http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/rajkumari-amritkaur.html
34

the Amrit Kaur College of Nursing. She continued to pursue humanitarian causes up until her
death in 1964. Amrit Kaur was born on February 2 nd 1889 and died on October 2 nd 1964. 57
57 Standing Commission
35

1957-1964
General Alfred Maximilian Gruenther
General Alfred Maximilian Gruenther served as a member of the Standing Commission from
November 1957 until October 1964, when he retired due to health issues. Prior to joining
the Movement, he had a long and distinguished career in the United States military. After
having graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point as the youngest
four star general in US history, he rose to become the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe
from 1953 until 1956. During World War Two, he had planned the US invasion of North
Africa in 1942 and Italy in 1943. He retired from the army in 1956 and took up the post of
President of the American Red Cross, which he filled until 1964 when he retired from the
Movement. He was also involved internationally in the Movement, as a member of the
Executive Committee of the League and its Vice-Chairman. General Gruenther was born in
Nebraska on March 3 rd , 1899 and died on May 30 th 1983. 58
58 Standing Commission
36

Prof. Georgy Miterev
1957-1973
Prof. Georgy Miterev served as a Member of the Standing Commission from November 1957
until November 1973, having been re-elected in both October 1965 and September 1969.
Prof. Miterev first entered the Movement when he was appointed President of the Alliance
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the USSR in 1954 and continued in that role until
1971. Under his supervision, the Soviet Red Cross became one of the biggest public
organizations in the USSR. In 1956, Miterev visited the United States as part of an exchange
visit between the American Red Cross and the Union of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
of the USSR, an encounter that was described later in a book by Raymond L. Garthoff who
worked as their interpreter. 59 Internationally, Prof. Miterev headed Soviet delegations to
several International Conferences and Board of Governor Meetings. He was awarded the
Henry Dunant medal in 1975. 60
59
https://books.google.ch/books?id=EdCssLSNO0EC&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=professor+georgy+miterev+red+cr
oss&source=bl&ots=ztJN6HGp-A&sig=UvbjzZpYdMrA2yzbDS4RimhHs7A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHrdTTz-
LJAhVFVxQKHSJ_AIoQ6AEIKDAC#v=onepage&q=professor%20georgy%20miterev%20red%20cross&f=false
60 Standing Commission
37

Angela Countess of Limerick
1965-1973
Angela Countess of Limerick served as Chairwoman of the Standing Commission from
October 1965 until November 1973, when she retired after having been re-elected as
Chairwomen in September 1969. The Countess of Limerick first joined the Movement in
1915 as a Nurse working for the British Red Cross and her outstanding Red Cross career
would ultimately span 61 years.
Angela, née Trotter, spent her early childhood in Romania. During World War I, she worked
as a Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse in military hospitals in England and France.
Between the wars she studied for a diploma in Social Science at the London School of
Economics, married the subsequent 5th Earl of Limerick and expanded her Red Cross, local
government and social work. From 1934 until 1940, she was President of the London Branch
of the British Red Cross. During World War II Angela was in charge of Red Cross services
throughout London during the “blitz” and from 1942 was also deputy chairman of the
38

Executive Committee of the War Organization of the British Red Cross Society (BRCS) and the
Order of St. John of Jerusalem. In 1944-45 she toured the War Organization’s Commissions
in the Middle East and Italy and inspected relief work, visiting 17 countries. 61 Post war, 1946-
63 Angela was a Vice-Chairman of the BRCS’s Executive Committee and a leading figure at
the 1946 meeting in Oxford of the League of Red Cross Societies. She visited most of the
BRCS Overseas Branches in Africa, the Far East and the Caribbean and a large number of
National Societies. She was widely respected for her uncompromising support of the
integrity of the Movement and its fundamental principles. In 1948, she was elected as the
Vice-President of the British Red Cross Society and one of the Governors of the League of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. 62
Angela was a valuable member of the Joint
Committee for the Re-Appraisal of the Role of the Red Cross 1972-75, chaired by Donald
Tansley. She also chaired the Council of the BRCS from 1974-76 and, on retiring, she was
appointed a Vice-President. 63
Angela was known for her wide vision and gave encouragement and inspiration to many
people. The Times of London said in her obituary: "Angela Limerick had a great breadth of
vision, an astonishing memory and grasp of detail, and a remarkable ability to establish close
and lasting personal relationships after brief acquaintance; above all she had the gift of
inspiring and encouraging others and bringing out the best in them." 64
She received
numerous awards, including a G.B.E. and a C.H., and in 1975 she received the Henry Dunant
medal. The Countess of Limerick was born in 1897 and died in 1981. 65
61 British Red Cross
62 Standing Commission
63 British Red Cross
64 http://www.redcross.int/en/history/not_limerick.asp
65 Standing Commission
39

General James F. Collins
1965-1973
General James F. Collins served as a member of the Standing Commission from October 1965
until November 1973, after having been re-elected in September 1969. His career began in
the United States Military where he rose to be a General and saw active service during the
Second World War when he was stationed in the Philippines and in Japan. He also served a
tour in Hawaii where he commanded the 71 st and 2 nd Infantry Division. When he retired
from the army in 1964, he was appointed as President of the American Red Cross, a post he
filled for six and a half years. He was educated at the United States Military Academy at
West Point. General Collins was born in the Bronx on September 2 nd , 1905 and died on
January 22 nd , 1989 in Washington. 66
66 Standing Commission
40

Dr Hans (Ritter von) Lauda
1965-1969
Dr Hans (Ritter von) Lauda served as a member of the Standing Commission from October
1965 until September 1969. 67 Prior to joining the Standing Commission, he was the President
of the Austrian Red Cross Society between 1956 and 1974. 68 Outside of the Movement he
was a Viennese industrialist and was the first President of the Vereinigung Osterreichischer
Industrieller (Union of Austrian Industrialists). 69 Although his father was given the title ‘Ritter
von’ by Kaiser Franz Joseph 1 in 1916, the fall of the monarchy and of the Austro-Hungarian
empire in 1918 put an end to the use of titles and hence Dr Hans Lauda only bore the name
and title Hans Ritter von Lauda between 1916 and 1919. His grandson is the Austrian
Formula One racing driver Andreas Nikolaus ‘’Niki’’ Lauda. He was born on March 25 th 1896
in Vienna and died on January 21 st 1974 in Vienna.
67 Standing Commission
68 http://austria-forum.org/af/AEIOU/Lauda%2C_Hans/Lauda%2C_Hans_english
69 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Lauda
41

Sir Geoffrey Newman-Morris
1965-1977
Sir Geoffrey Newman-Morris served as member of the Standing Commission from October
1965 until November 1973, having been re-elected in September 1969. He also served as
Chairman of the Standing Commission from November 1973 until October 1977. He first
joined the Australian Red Cross Society in 1951 as a Member of the Welfare Committee. He
then became Chairman of the National Executive of the Australian Red Cross in 1958. On an
international level, he has also been an active part of the Movement. He served as the Vice-
Chairman of the League from 1969 until 1973 and as Chairman of the Standing Finance
Commission of the League from 1967 to 1977, amongst other roles. Sir Geoffrey graduated
from the University of Melbourne with an M.B., B.S. in 1932, and further gained an MS, a
senior academic surgical degree, to become Fellow of the Royal Surgeons in 1937. 70 He had a
long career in medicine and during World War Two he was stationed in Egypt, Palestine,
Papua (province) and New Guinea, having been promoted several times. Renowned for
resolving impasses, he used a quiet word behind the scenes coupled with decisive
70 http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/newman-morris-sir-geoffrey-14978
42

chairmanship. He received numerous Red Cross awards, culminating in the Henri Dunant
medal in 1979. In 1982 the Red Cross posthumously published his memoir “This World But
Once”. He was born on May 14 th , 1909 in Victoria, Australia and died on October 20 th 1981 in
71 72
Melbourne.
71 Standing Commission
72 http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/newman-morris-sir-geoffrey-14978
43

Dr Hadj Ahmed Djebli-Elaydouni
1969-1973
Dr Ahmed Djebli-Elaydouni served as a member of the Standing Commission between
September 1969 and November 1973. Prior to joining the Standing Commission, he was the
President of the Moroccan Red Crescent. 73 He was born on April 7 th 1917 in Rabat and died
on October 29 th 2003.
73 Standing Commission
44

Alexandra Issa-el-Khoury
1973-1977
74
Mrs Alexandra Issa-el-Khoury served as the Vice-Chairwoman of the Standing Commission
from November 1973 until October 1977. Previously, she had been a Member of the Central
Committee of the Lebanese Red Cross since 1951 until she succeeded her mother as
President of her National Society. During her tenure as President, her National Society was
able to regain and maintain a truly unique position of impartiality and humanitarian spirit,
which was respected by all parties to the tragic conflict in Lebanon. Mrs Issa-el-Khoury has
been an active member of the Movement on an international level too, having attended
many international conferences and meetings. She received the Henry Dunant medal in
1981 and a road in Beirut, Lebanon has been named after her. She had a degree in
Philosophy and was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1926 and died in 1997. 7576
74 http://www.rdl.com.lb/1997/1926/khoury.htm
75 Standing Commission
76 http://www.rdl.com.lb/1997/1926/khoury.htm
45

Dr Nadejda Troyan
1973-1977
Dr Nadejan Troyan served as a member of the Standing Commission from November 1973
until October 1977. Prior to her election, Dr Troyan was President of the Red Cross Society of
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
46

George Aitken
1973-1977
Mr George Aitken served as a member of the Standing Commission between November
1973 and October 1977. Mr Aitken first joined the Canadian Red Cross in 1939 as a volunteer
to assist the Canadian Red Cross in coping with the exigencies of the Second World War. His
initial task was to utilise his skills as a carpenter to build wooden bins to store the clothing
being donated for the war victims. After this, Aitken served as Chairman of the Canadian Red
Cross Executive Committee from 1955-56 and as Chairman of the Canadian Red Cross
Central Council from 1957 to 1958. 77 He rose to become the National Vice-President after he
was elected in 1961. Internationally too, he was involved in the work of the Movement.
When the Permanent Scale of Contributions Commission was set up in 1960, he was elected
to be its Chairman and remained in that post for 18 years. For six years, he was also the
League’s Vice-Chairman (1965-1973). He graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a
77 Canadian Red Cross
47

Doctor of Laws in 1929. 78 He received a Henry Dunant medal in 1979. Mr Aitken was born on
November 21 st , 1906 in Winnipeg, Canada and died on February 23 rd
1984 in North
Vancouver, Canada. 79
78 Standing Commission
79 http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/aitken_g.shtml
48

Sir Evelyn Shuckburgh
1973-1981
Sir Evelyn Shuckburgh served as a member of the Standing Commission from November
1973 until November 1981 and was its Chairman from 1977 until 1981. Sir Shuckburgh began
his career as a diplomat for the British government. He first worked at the Foreign Office and
then became the private secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Sir Anthony
Eden. Between 1963 and 1966, he was Great Britain’s representative at North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). He began working for the Red Cross Movement in 1970 as President of
the Executive Council and in 1976 became Governor of the League of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies. He graduated from the University of Cambridge. 80 Sir Shuckburgh was
born on May 26 th 1909 and died on December 12 th 1994 in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. 81
80 Standing Commission
81 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Shuckburgh
49

Kai Warras
1977-1986
Kai Warras served as a member of the Standing Commission between October 1977 and
October 1986, having been re-elected in November 1981. Mr Warras had been involved with
the Finnish Red Cross and the Movement more widely, since 1945. From 1956 until 1985 he
occupied the position of Secretary General of the Finnish Red Cross. Under his leadership,
this Society has grown in strength and is today able to play an important role not only at a
national level but by giving its share internationally to Red Cross relief and development
efforts. He was also involved internationally. Mr Warras was Vice-Chairman of the League
from 1966 to 1977 and Chairman of the Joint ICRC-League Committee for Reappraisal of the
Role of the Red Cross as well being involved in numerous working groups and committees.
He was educated as a barrister of law. 82 Mr Warras’ enormous contribution to humanitarian
activities makes him an outstanding example for the Movement and in 1987 he was awarded
the Henry Dunant medal. 83 He was born on March 31 st 1917 and died on September 19 th
2006. 84
82 Finnish Red Cross
83 Standing Commission
84 http://www.hs.fi/muistot/haku/?haku=kai-j-warras
50

H.E. Dr Ahmed Abu-Goura
1977-1993
Dr Ahmed Abu-Goura served as a member of the Standing Commission from October 1977
until December 1995 and was its Chairman from 1981 to 1993 when he decided to step
down due to age and health reasons. 85 Dr Abu-Goura first joined the Movement in 1953
when he was elected as the Secretary General of the Jordan Red Crescent Society. He then
eventually became President of his National Society in 1964. Prior to joining the Movement,
Dr Abu-Goura had a long and distinguished career in the Jordanian Government. He was the
Director of the Radiology Department at the Ministry of Health (1951); he was the Minister
of Health (1965) and the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare (1966). Dr Abu-Goura
received a Doctor in Medicine from the University of Damascus (1943), a Postgraduate
degree in Radiology from the University of London (1951) and a Postgraduate degree in
Radiotherapy from Harvard University (1956). He received a Henry Dunant medal in 1993.
He was born in Salt, Jordan in 1918 and passed away in 2015.
85
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1&fid=6004916&jid=RCE&volumeId=33&issueId=29
5&aid=6004912
51

OMR Prof. Dr Werner Ludwig
1977-1981
OMR Prof. Dr Werner Ludwig served as the Vice-Chairman of the Standing Commission
between October 1977 and November 1981. His first involvement with the Movement was
when he was appointed Chairman of the German Red Cross of the German Democratic
Republic when it was first set up in October, 1952. Later, in 1957, he was elected President
and his appointment was ratified at all subsequent Congresses until 1981, when he stepped
down due to medical reasons. Under his tenure, the German Red Cross was rebuilt after the
Second World War. Internationally, Dr Ludwig has been involved in the Movement’s work.
From 1973 until 1977 he was Vice-President of the League. Outside of the Movement’s
activities, he was elected as a member of the Executive Council of UNICEF and was a
member of the Scientific Council of the Academy for the perfecting of physicians’ education
of the GDR. He holds a Doctors degree (1939) and a Doctorate in Social Hygiene (1962). 86 He
received a Henry Dunant medal in 1983. He was born on December 12 th , 1914 in Mülheim,
Germany and died on December 11 th 2001 in Dresden. 87
86 Standing Commission
87 http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Ludwig_(Arzt)
52

Rito Alcantara
1977-1981
Mr Rito Alcantara served as a member of the Standing Commission between October 1977
and November 1981. Prior to his election, Mr Alcantara had been a founding member of the
Senegalese Red Cross and later became its President from 1964 until 1974. Internationally,
he has been involved in Movement activities too. He was the Vice-President of the League of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from 1969 until 1973 and President of the Commission
for the Revision of the Statutes and Rules of the League (1973-1977). Outside the
Movement, he was President of the Rotary Club of Dakar and a Member of the Executive
Committee of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). 88 He graduated
from the University of Montpellier and the University of Dakar and was educated as a
pharmacist. He was born in 1922 and died on February 8 th 2003 in Dakar. 89
88 Standing Commission
89 http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/news/newsid=85514/index.html
53

Dr János Hantos
1981-1995
Dr János Hantos served as a member of the Standing Commission between November 1981
and December 1995. He had been involved with the Hungarian Red Cross since 1959. In
1973, he was elected Secretary General of the National Board of the Hungarian Red Cross
and was re-elected in 1977. He also held the office of President of the National Executive
Committee until his retirement in 1990. Dr Hantos is a widely published author of articles
and studies pertaining to health as well as pedagogic and cultural policy. Outside the
Movement, he was elected to the City Council of Budapest in 1962, and became Deputy
Mayor at the end of 1964. Dr Hantos graduated as a Doctor of Political Science and had
previously taught philosophy at the University of Budapest. He received the Henry Dunant
medal in 1991. He was born in Békéscsaba, Hungary in 1927. 9091
90 Standing Commission
91
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5999516&fileId=S002086040007
532X
54

R. James Kane
1981-1986
Mr James Kane served as a member of the Standing Commission between November 1981
and October 1986. Mr Kane dedicated almost a third of his life to the Red Cross Movement.
He began his Red Cross career as a volunteer for the Ontario section of the Canadian Red
Cross. Mr Kane was Chairman of the Canadian Red Cross Executive Committee from 1972-
1973 and in 1974 he rose to become the President of the Canadian Red Cross. 92 On an
international level, he participated in several International Conferences and regional
meetings. Mr Kane was also a member of the Permanent Commission on Finances. Outside
of the Movement, he was active in educational and teleological organisations in Toronto. He
graduated from the University of Toronto and was born in the same city in 1917. 93
92 Canadian Red Cross
93 Standing Commission
55

Soehanda Ijas
1981-1986
Mr Soehanda Ijas served as a member of the Standing Commission between November 1981
and October 1986. Before joining the Standing Commission, Mr Ijas was the Secretary
General of the Indonesian Red Cross since his election in 1966. On an international level, he
has represented the Indonesian Red Cross at numerous different statutory and regional
meetings of the Movement. Mr Ijas was also a member of the Working Group on the
Revision of the Statues of the International Red Cross. Outside the Movement, he worked in
the Indonesian government as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1952 until 1954 and was also
a practicing lawyer. He was born on October 13 th , 1925 and died on October 16 th 1988. 94
94 “Death of Two Eminent Members of the Movement”, International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 28,
Issue 267, December 1988. Pgs. 558-559.
56

Dr Botho Prinz zu Sayn Wittgenstein-Hohenstein
1986-1995
Dr Botho Prinz zu Sayn Wittgenstein-Hohenstein served as a member of the Standing
Commission between October 1986 and 1995, while being its Vice-Chairman from 1993 until
1995. He first joined the Red Cross Movement in 1944 as a Volunteer at the district level. In
1979, he became an elected Member of the National Committee of the German Red Cross
and then in 1982 he was elected as President of the German Red Cross. Outside of
Movement activities, Dr Hohenstein was a Member of the German Cancer Relief Trust, the
Mayor of Laasphe (1958-1968) and a Member of the German Sub-Committee on
Humanitarian Aid (1968-1980). Dr Wittgenstein-Hohenstein graduated with a degree in
Medicine from the University of Marburg. He was awarded the Henry Dunant medal in 1995.
He was born on February 16 th , 1927 in Eisenach, Germany and died on January 27 th , 2008 in
Salzberg, Austria. 95
95 Standing Commission
57

Hon. Dr Byron Reuben Hove
1986-1999
Hon. Byron Hove served as a member of the Standing Commission between 1986 and 1999,
serving as its Vice-Chairman from 1995 till 1999. Before joining the Standing Commission, Mr
Hove was the National Chairman of the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society and also one of its
founding members. Outside the Movement, he served as a Justice Minister in the Rhodesian
Government (later to become Zimbabwe with independence in 1980) along with Hilary
Squires as his Co-Minister. He also worked for the Organization of African Unity, the
precursor to the African Union and at the National Archives of Zimbabwe. He was educated
as a lawyer in the United Kingdom. He received the Henry Dunant medal in 1999. 96 Mr Hove
was born in 1940 in the Mberengwa District, Zimbabwe and died in on April 10 th 1999 in
Harare. 97
96 Standing Commission
97 https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/soc.culture.zimbabwe/9iR8qUBUsZc
58

Mavy d’Aché Assumpção Harmon
1986-1995
Mrs Mavy Harmon served as a member of the Standing Commission between October 1986
and December 1995. Prior to joining the Standing Commission, Mrs Harmon was Vice-
President of the Brazilian Red Cross from 1974 to 1977 and National President from 1977 to
2001. She also served as a member of the Committee on the Revision of the Statutes of the
International Red Cross (1984-1986) and was a member of the Executive Council of the
League of Red Cross and Red Crescent. She supported and encouraged the first meetings of
the National Societies of Portuguese Language. Mrs Harmon was Vice President of CORI
(Inter Regional Committee) from 1984 till 1987, and in 1985 was elected to the League
Commission Baremo. During her presidency the Brazilian Red Cross hosted the Sixth General
Assembly of the League of Red Cross Societies from 16 to 28 November 1987. Outside the
Movement, she was Chairman and founder of the Non-Governmental Organizations in Brazil
(CENG) and founder, Member of the Board and Director for the Community Affairs of the
organisation Fundo Comunitario (United Way). She was the first Brazilian woman graduate
from the War Military College in 1973. Mrs Harmon also graduated from the Federal
59

University of Rio de Janeiro as Professor of Germanic Languages. She was married and spoke
five languages (English, French, Spanish, German and Portuguese). 98 She was born in Rio de
Janeiro in 1924 and died in 2002 in Rio de Janeiro. 99
98 IFRC archives
99 Brazilian Red Cross Society
60

Mrs Véronique Ahouanmenou
1993-1995
Mrs Ahouanmenou was a member of the Standing Commission between April 1993 and
1995, when she replaced HE Dr Abu Goura, who retired due to health issues, as a member.
She was the first President of the Benin Red Cross (previously known as the Red Cross
Society of Dahomey) which was accepted into the Movement in 1963. She worked tirelessly
as President of this National Society from 1959 till 1996. 100 She was also formerly a member
of the Federation’s Executive Council and has served the Movement for over forty years, a
dedication and service for which she was awarded the Henry Dunant medal in 2009. 101
100 http://croixrougebenin.afredis.com/description.html
101 http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2009-and-earlier/57jnu3.htm
61

Dr Guillermo Rueda Montaña
1995-1998
Dr Guillermo Rueda Montaña was a member of the Standing Commission from December
1995 until May 1998 when he passed away. Before he was elected to the Standing
Commission he was the President of the Colombian Red Cross and also held a number of
positions on an international level within the Movement. Dr Montaña was President of the
Finance Commission of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
(ICRC) for eight years, Vice-President of the Executive Committee of the International
Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) from 1981 until 1985 and Director of
the Americas Department of the IFRC. Outside the Movement, he was the rector of the
National University of Colombia, Chairman of the Board of Jorge Tadeo Lozano University
and President of the Board of the San José Hospital. He held an MD from the National
University of Colombia (1946). In 1999, Dr Montaña posthumously received the Henry
Dunant medal. Dr Montaña was born on August, 31 st 1923 and died on May 16 th , 1998.
62

Princess Christina Magnuson
1995-2003
Princess Christina Magnuson served as a member of the Standing Commission between
December 1995 and December 2003. Before joining the Standing Commission, she was
President of the Swedish Red Cross, a position she took up in 1993. Prior to that she had
been Vice President (1987-1993) and had held various other positions with the Swedish Red
Cross, beginning as a volunteer in 1973. Princess Magnuson was also involved internationally
in the Movement Chairwomen of the Steering Group for the World Campaign for the Victims
of War (1987-1990) as well as representing the Swedish delegation at numerous
international conferences of the Movement. She studied at Radcliffe College and at the
University of Stockholm. Princess Magnuson received the Henry Dunant medal in 2005. She
was born on August 3 rd , 1943 and is married with three sons. 102
102 Standing Commission
63

Princess Margriet
1995-2003
Princess Margriet served as Chairwomen of the Standing Commission between December
1995 and December 2003. She has been an active part of the Movement since she joined her
local branch of the Netherlands Red Cross as a volunteer in 1966. Internationally she has also
been involved in the Movement having been both a member and the vice-chairman of the
Study Group on the Future of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Outside the
Movement, she has been President of the European Cultural Foundation, Patroness of the
Foundation “SOS Children’s Villages, the Netherlands” and a Member of the Advisory
Committee of the National Association for the Care of the Terminally Ill, amongst others.
Princess Margriet studied at the University of Montpellier and Leiden University. She was
born in Ottawa, Canada on January 19 th , 1943 and is married with four sons.
64

Tadateru Konoe
1995-2003
Mr Tadateru Konoe was a member of the Standing Commission between December 1995
and December 2003. Prior to be elected to the Standing Commission, Mr Konoe was Vice
President of the Japanese Red Cross Society since his appointment in 1991. He has been a
member of the Japanese Red Cross Society since 1964. Internationally, he has also been
involved in Movement serving as a Member of the Finance Commission of the International
Federation (1985-1993) and Director of the Disaster Preparedness Department of the League
(1981-1985). Outside the Movement, he has been a Board Member of the Japanese Society
for rehabilitation, a Technical Expert at the Central Disaster Prevention Council in the
National Land Agency and an Advisor at the Japan Preventative Diplomacy Center, amongst
others. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics (1964) and holds a BA in Political
Science from Gakushuin University (1962). 103
He is currently the President of the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and therefore an ex officio
103 Standing Commission
65

member of the Standing Commission. He is married to Princess Yasuko of Mikasa and has
one son. He was born on May 8 th 1939 in Tokyo, Japan. 104
104 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadateru_Konoe
66

Prof Dr Mamoun Yousif Hamid
1999-1999
Prof Hamid was a member of the Standing Commission from April 1999 till August 1999
when he stepped in as a member to replace Hon. Byron Reuben Hove who had passed away
earlier that year. He graduated with an Academic Diploma in Public Health from the
University of London in 1963 and became a Doctor of Medicine (MD) in 1968. Following his
studies he worked as a Professor of Social Medicine and Child Health at the University of
Khartoum until he became Sudan’s Minister of Health in 1989. Within the Movement he has
been the Vice-President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies, Member of the Executive Committee of Arab Red Crescent Society Council and
was the President of the Sudanese Red Crescent for many years. Prof Hamid was born on
August 4 th 1931 in the Ailafon Khartoum State, Sudan. 105
105 http://sudanimoscow.freeservers.com/RED.HTM
67

General Georges Nadra Harrouk
1998-1999
General Georges Harrouk was a member of the Standing Commission between 1998 and
1999, when he took over as a member after Dr Guillermo Rueda Montaña passed away. He
was President of the Lebanese Red Cross between December 1991 and March 2000.
68

Dr Abdurrahman A. Al-Swailem
1999-2003
Dr Abdul Rahman A. Al-Swailem was a member of the Standing Commission between
November 1999 and December 2003. At the time of his election, Dr Al-Swailem was
President of the Saudi Red Crescent Society as well as President of the Saudi Joint Relief
Committee. Before joining the Movement, Dr Al-Swailem’s background was in health. He has
served as Deputy Minister for Executive Affairs at the Ministry of Health (1988-1997),
Assistant Deputy Minister for Curative Medicine (1982-1988) and Head of the General
Medical Committee in Riyadh (1974-1982), amongst others. He has published widely on
topics ranging from child health to renal diseases and organ transplantation. Dr Al-Swailem
holds a MBBC from Munich University (1966), a DCH from Cairo University (1974) as well as a
Pediatrics Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh. 106107 He was born on
February 12 th , 1937 in Zubayr, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is married with two sons and
four daughters.
106 Standing Commission
107 http://www.shura.gov.sa/wps/wcm/connect/ShuraEn/internet/CV/Abdurrahman+A.+Al-Swailem
69

H.E Dr Mohammed Al-Hadid
1999-2015
Dr Al-Hadid was a member of the Standing Commission between 1999 and 2015, having
been re-elected several times. He served as Vice-Chairman between November 1999 and
2011 as well as being its Chairman from December 2003 until 2009. In 2006 he chaired the
29 th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which adopted the
necessary statutory changes to accommodate the additional emblem, the Red Crystal. This
brought to an end a decade-long debate and permitted the Magen David Adom in Israel and
the Palestinian Red Crescent Society to join the Movement as a full member. He is also
currently the President of the Jordanian Red Crescent Society, a post he has filled since 1993.
Prior to becoming President, he held several different positions within his National Society
beginning in 1981 as the Director of the Red Cross Blood Bank and Laboratories. Dr Al-Hadid
holds a PhD in Clinical Chemistry and was born in Jordan on December 11 th , 1951. 108109
108 Standing Commission
109 www.standcom.ch
70

Dr Freddy Karup Pedersen
2003-2007
Dr Freddy Karup Pedersen was a member of the Standing Commission between December
2003 and November 2007. At the time of his election, he was President of the Danish Red
Cross, a position he filled from 1997 until 2005. He has been involved with the Danish Red
Cross since 1974, when he joined as a short term medical delegate. In an international
capacity, he was also a member of the HIV/AIDS Governance group of the International
Federation. Outside of the Movement, Dr Pedersen was a Professor of Pediatrics at the
University of Copenhagen as well as being the Head of the Department of Pediatrics at the
Rigshospital in Copenhagen. In 1971, Dr Pedersen graduated as a medical doctor from the
University of Copenhagen medical school. He was born on April 12 th , 1943. 110111
110 Standing Commission
111 Dr Freddy Karup Pedersen
71

Janet Davidson
2003-2007
Mrs Janet Davidson was Vice-Chairwoman of the Standing Commission between December
2003 and November 2007. As a member of the Canadian Red Cross since 1973, she has held
several positions. During her tenure as national president, she deftly guided the Canadian
Red Cross through a period of transformation, refocusing its mandate. Overseeing the
operations of the Vancouver General and University of British Columbia hospitals, as well as
the G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre, she is one of Canada’s most senior front-line health
care administrators. 112113
She sat on the Board of Governors since 1997, assuming the
Presidency of the Board between 1995 and 1997. Prior to this, she was President of the
Alberta division (1990-1992) and the Edmonton Branch (1985-1987) of the Canadian Red
Cross. In 1997, she was also elected as the Vice President of the Federation (for the
Americas) where she served for six years until 2004. Outside the Movement, she has a
background in health having been President and CEO of the Toronto East General Hospital
(2000-2001), CEO of Capital Health Edmonton (1996-1999) and Assistant Deputy Minister in
the Ministry of Health, amongst others. She has received numerous awards for her
112 Canadian Red Cross
113 http://archive.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4958
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professional and personal accomplishments, including the Society’s two highest rewards, the
Distinguished Service Medal and the Order of the Red Cross, and on February 9 th 2007 Mrs
Janet Davidson was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada. 114 She holds a BSc in Nursing
from the University of Windsor and Master of Health Service Administration from the
University of Alberta. Janet Davidson was born on the September 19 th , 1947. 115116
114 http://www.redcross.ca/cmslib/general/janet_english_bio.pdf
115 Standing Commission
116 http://www1.uwindsor.ca/alumni/janet-davidson-bscn-71
73

Philippe Cuvillier
2003-2007
Mr Philippe Cuvillier was a member of the Standing Commission between December 2003
and November 2007. Having been a member of the French Red Cross since 1996,
Ambassador Cuvillier rose to become a member of the Governing Board as well as the
Chairman of the Committee of the Board for International Relations and Operations.
Internationally, he was also involved in the Movement. In 2002, he chaired a think-tank on
the reform of the Red Cross European Union Office and later in 2002 assumed the
Presidency of the same office. Outside the Movement, Phillipe Cuvillier had an illustrious
career, serving as a Diplomat for the French government since 1957. He was Ambassador to
Egypt (1981-1985), Morocco (1985-1987), Brazil (1987-1989), Switzerland (1989-1991) and
Italy (1991-1993). He had a Masters in English from the University of Sorbonne, a Masters in
Political Science from the Institute of Political Science and was a graduate of the National
Administration Institute. He was born on October 17th, 1930 in Paris and passed away in
December 2015. 117118
117 http://www.redcross.int/en/standcom/pc_eng.pdf
118 Standing Commission
74

Zoy Katevas de Sclabos
2003-2007
Mrs Zoy Katevas de Sclabos was a member of the Standing Commission between December
2003 and November 2007. From 1993 to 2004, Mrs Katevas de Sclabos was President of the
Chilean Red Cross and was active in various positions in the Movement since 1953, when she
began as a volunteer. Outside the Movement, she was nominated as the Chief of the Chilean
Foundation on High Blood Pressure, served as the Chief of the National Council on Home
Accidents and held the Presidency of the National Committee on the Prevention of Home
Accidents between 1985 and 1987. In recognition of her work and commitment to the
Movement, she was awarded the Henry Dunant Medal in 2009. She was born on October
28 th , 1932 119 and died on July 30 th 2013. 120121122
119 Chilean Red Cross
120 http://www.redcross.int/en/standcom/zk_en.pdf
121 Standing Commission
122 http://www.cruzroja.cl/noticias/cruz-roja-chilena-lamenta-informar-el-fallecimiento-de-zoy-katevas-desclabos-560
75

Adama Diarra
2007-2011
Adama Diarra served as a member of the Standing Commission between November 2007
and November 2011. At the time of his election, Diarra was President of the Malian Red
Cross, which he first joined in 2002. During his time at the Malian Red Cross, he worked on a
number of issues including: the ECOWAS Forum of Ministers for Social Development, the
repatriation of Ivorian refugees, the creation of a law protecting the emblem in Mali,
amongst others. Before joining the Movement, Diarra was Director of the Agence pour le
Développement Social, Commissioner at the Association Malienne pour la Promotion des
Jeunes and Director of the Société Nationale des Tabas et Allumettes du Mali. He earned a
Master in Public Law in 1984.
76

Mr Steven E. Carr
2007-2015
Mr Steven E. Carr was the Vice-Chairman of the Standing Commission between 2011 and
2015. Prior to this election, he was also a member of the Standing Commission between
November 2007 and November 2011. Mr Carr has been an American Red Cross volunteer for
the past 25 years and has served on its Board of Governors and as chair of the International
Services Committee. He remains on the American Red Cross’ International Services Advisory
Council, a position he was first elected to in 2008. Outside the Movement, he is a Member of
the Board of the Bank of Idaho and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of
Idaho. He holds a Bachelor of the Arts from Utah State University (1980) and a Juris
Doctorate from Arizona State University College of Law (1983). He was born on May 1 st ,
1957 in Idaho Falls, USA.
77

Eamon Harrison Courtenay
2007-2011
Mr Eamon Harrison Courtenay was elected as a member of the Standing Commission
between November 2007 and November 2011. Prior to this, Mr Courtney was President of
the Belize Red Cross Society between 1999 until 2002 and has been an active member of the
Movement since 1989, holding various positions within the Belize Red Cross Society. Outside
the Movement, he served as Belize’s Senator and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign
Trade (2006-2007), Deputy Chairman of Belize Bank (2005-2006), Attorney General and
Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade (2003-2004), as well as continuing as a practicing
attorney-at-law (1988-1999). He holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and
completed his studies in Law at the University of the West Indies and the Norman Manley
Law School. 123 He was born in Belize on June 11 th , 1960 and is married with two children. 124
123 Standing Commission
124 http://www.cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=06BELIZE369
78

M.D. Massimo Barra
2007-
M.D. Massimo Barra is a current member of the Standing Commission since his re-election in
December 2015. Previously he served as Vice-Chairman of the Standing Commission from
2007 to 2009 and then as Chairman from 2009 to 2011. Before joining the Standing
Commission, M.D. Barra was National President of the Italian Red Cross since 2005. He first
joined the Italian Red Cross in 1961 as a volunteer and has held numerous other positions
during the interim. Internationally, M.D. Barra has also held several positions within the
Movement. He was Vice-President of the IFRC for Europe (2004-2005), Chairman of the
Development Commission (2005-2007) and President of the European Network on HIV/AIDS
(1998-2003), amongst others. Outside the Movement, he has been the Head of the 2 nd Ward
of Maddona del Tufo Hospital in Rome (1986-2005), a Board Member of the Global Fund
(2003-2004) and Co-Chairman of the Rome Consensus for Humanitarian Drug Policy since
2007. He was one of the first medical doctors to take care of drug users in Italy: he started
his activity at the Centre for Social Diseases in Rome in 1974 and 2 years later, he founded
Villa Maraini, a Foundation assisting drug users which he directed for more than 30 years. 125
125 Italian Red Cross
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M.D. Barra holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery (1972) and a specialization in Medicine of
Sport (1976) from the University La Sapienza. He was born on August 22 nd , 1947 in Rome,
Italy. 126127
126 Standing Commission
127
http://translate.google.ch/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.massimobarra.it/Curriculumvitae.pdf&prev=/
search?q%3Dmassimo%2Bbarra%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D571
80

Hon. Pär Stenbäck
2011-2015
Hon. Pär Stenbäck was a member of the Standing Commission between 2011 and 2015. He
began his Red Cross career as the Secretary General of the Finnish Red Cross from 1985 until
his appointment as Secretary General of the IFRC in 1987. During his tenure as Secretary
General and with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, he successfully managed to expand the
geographical reach of the Movement’s activities. He also promoted the creation of
permanent regional delegations that would support the work of National Societies. 128 Hon.
Stenbäck also improved cooperation with the UNHCR and set the foundation for the
Movement’s work on refugees. In the 1980s, prior to joining the Movement, he served in the
Finnish government as both Minister of Education (1979-1982) and Minister of Foreign
Relations (1982-1983). After leaving the Federation, Hon. Stenbäck returned to his National
Society as the President and also became a member of the Executive Board of the
International Crisis Group. In 2009 he received the Henry Dunant Medal. He was born on
August 12 th 1941 in Porvoo, Finland and is married with two children. 129130131
128 Finnish Red Cross
129 Standing Commission
130 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A4r_Stenb%C3%A4ck
131 http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/about/board/par-stenback.aspx
81

Greg Vickery AO
2011-
Mr Greg Vickery is a current member of the Standing Commission, being re-elected in
December 2015. Between 2011 and 2015 he was also its Chairman. Prior to joining the
Standing Commission, he was the National President of the Australian Red Cross Society
since his appointment in 2003. Mr Vickery initially joined the Australian Red Cross as a
volunteer in 1973 and has held various posts throughout this period. He has also been an
active member of the Movement on an international level. He has led the Australian
delegation to various international meetings, served as Chairman of the IFRC Public
Governance Enhancement Programme Working Group (2010-2011) and represented the
IFRC at the Asia Development and the United Nations (2011). Outside the Movement, he has
been a Professor of Law at the University of Queensland (2000-2011), the Honorary Consul
for the Republic of Indonesia in Queensland (1999-2007) and a Senior Lawyer at Norton
Rose, Australia. Mr Vickery holds a Bachelor of Arts (1966) and a Bachelor of Law (1969)
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from the University of Queensland as well as a Graduate Diploma in Dispute Resolution from
Bond University. 132 He was born on May 26 th , 1946 and is married with three children. 133
132 Standing Commission
133 http://www.companydirectors.com.au/dialogs/speaker.aspx?id=%7BA70D1C95-E4BE-4ABB-81F0-
94C2A380000D%7D
83

Eva von Oelreich
2015-
Eva von Oelreich is the current Chair of the Standing Commission since her election in
December 2015. 134 She has had a long career in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and
was President of the Swedish Red Cross between 2011 and 2015 as well as being Vice-
President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies between
2011 and 2013. 135 Outside of the Movement she has also been very active, being a Board
member of Lund University, Member of the Board of Trustees of HERE, Geneva as well as
Advisor to chair of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation. She is currently also a member of the
Compliance and Mediation Committee (CMC) of the IFRC. 136 She has a BA in Philosophy,
Literature and Art and a MA Degree in Languages. She was born September 22 nd 1944.
134 Standing Commission
135 https://se.linkedin.com/in/eva-von-oelreich-177301aa
136 http://standcom.ch/wp-content/uploads/newcandidates/EvaOlerich/Nomination%20-
%20Eva%20von%20Oelreich%20ENG%20translation.pdf
84

Chrystold Chetty
2015-
Mr Chrystold Chetty is a current member of the Standing Commission since being elected in
December 2015.
He was President of the Red Cross Society of Seychelles from 1987 to 2001 and honorary
President since 2003. He is currently Chairman of the Finance Commission as well as
Governing Board member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
National Societies. Outside of the Movement, he has been Honorary Consul for the Royal
Norwegian Government and a shareholder in several private companies in the Seychelles.
Mr Chatty has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Quebec,
Canada. He was born July 31 st 1960 and is a national of the Seychelles.
85

George Weber
2015-
George Weber is the current Vice-President of the Standing Commission since his election in
December 2015. 137 Mr Weber first joined the Movement in 1973 as a field delegate in
Vietnam, and then worked as Chief Delegate and Disaster Relief Officer in Rwanda,
Mauritius, Cap Verde, Nepal and the Philippines. In this capacity, he worked tirelessly to
improve relief operations in these disaster-stricken countries, and he led disaster
preparedness programs. He joined the Canadian Red Cross in 1976 as its National Director of
International Services and then came to lead the organization, when he was appointed
Secretary General and CEO in 1983. He left the Canadian Red Cross in 1992 to become
Secretary General and CEO of the IFRC. Among his many accomplishments, he was successful
in gaining permanent observer status for the IFRC with the United Nations. Following his
departure in 2000, he has continued with his life’s work with the Red Cross as a volunteer
advisor. 138 Mr Weber was born April 18 1946 and is a Canadian national. 139
137 Standing Commission
138 http://www.redcross.ca/about-us/newsroom-/news-releases/latest-news/george-weber-first-canadian-toreceive-international-humanitarian-award
139 https://mail.standcom.ch/service/home/~/?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=3527&part=3
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