By Dr. BJ Enverga
In June 1859, thousands of wounded soldiers lay abandoned on a battlefield in northern Italy. There were not enough doctors, not enough supplies, and no organized system to care for them. When a Swiss businessman named Henry Dunant arrived, the fighting was already over. But its aftermath remained.
Dunant described it as one of “the most dreadful sights imaginable”, filled with “agony” and “suffering”. Some of the wounded cried out, “They desert us, leave us to die miserably,” as they waited for aid that never came. He began helping where he could, organizing local villagers to tend to the wounded, regardless of which side they had fought for.
In the days that followed, he was struck by a troubling realization. There were no agreed rules, no shared system, and no international effort to care for victims of war.
Dunant returned to Switzerland and wrote a short book, A Memory of Solferino, describing what he had seen. He ended it with a simple proposal. What if countries agreed to create neutral organizations to care for the wounded in times of war? What if they established rules that all sides would follow?
The idea was radical. It required countries to cooperate even in the midst of conflict. And it caught on.
In 1863, Dunant’s proposal led to the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. A year later, his work also contributed to the first Geneva Convention, an international agreement establishing rules for the humane treatment of wounded soldiers.
War did not disappear. Atrocities did not end. However, the agreement defined what should and should not be done, even on the battlefield. It showed that even in conflict, cooperation was possible.
Over time, similar efforts would emerge in other areas. A Polish-Jewish lawyer named Rafael Lemkin would later campaign for international recognition of genocide as a crime, helping to establish legal norms against it. After the sinking of the Titanic, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea introduced new standards for maritime safety, including continuous radio monitoring and ships having adequate numbers of lifeboats. In the early 2000s, the rapid spread of SARS was contained in part through unprecedented cooperation coordinated by the World Health Organization, as countries shared data, expertise, and resources in real time.
These efforts did not eliminate risk, tragedy, or conflict. But they reduced harm. They created systems that made the world more predictable, more stable, and, in many cases, more humane.
They remind us that the world does not function by chance alone. It is held together by agreements, both formal and informal, that allow countries to coordinate their actions and manage shared problems.
At a time when many societies seem to be turning inward and global cooperation appears fragile, it is worth remembering how much of our daily lives depends on these systems. The price of fuel, for instance, is not determined solely by local supply and demand. It is shaped by international agreements, trade routes, and the stability of key waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz. When cooperation breaks down, the effects are felt far beyond the sites of conflict, reaching into everyday life.
These systems exist because countries have learned to work together, even when doing so is difficult.
One lesson we can take from Henry Dunant is not only that suffering could be alleviated, but it requires cooperation across borders. His idea was simple. Even in a divided world, there could be shared rules and shared responsibilities.
That is what made his vision so powerful, and it remains just as relevant today.
The systems we rely on, whether in times of war, disaster, or disease, did not emerge naturally. They were built, often in response to moments of crisis, by people who believed that cooperation was possible. They endure only so long as that belief is sustained.
In a world that is becoming more fragmented, those systems cannot be taken for granted. They must be sustained, strengthened, and, when necessary, defended.
Because even in moments of division, it is cooperation that allows us to respond to global pandemics, keep vital trade routes open, and make the world more humane in times of crisis.