The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was one of the first Western witnesses to the human and physical destruction caused by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The medical work undertaken by the renowned delegate Marcel Junod earned him official recognition of the martyred city. The ICRC quickly worked to ensure that the ban on nuclear weapons became part of international humanitarian law.
In this panel discussion, ICRC Vice-President Gilles Carbonnier examines the challenges posed by atomic weapons, particularly in light of contemporary geopolitical events. ICRC historian Daniel Palmieri retraces the fascinating story of the early connection forged between the bomb and the ICRC in 1945.