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

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