The Seven fundamental Principles of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movements, having the shape as we know it today, and which supplement the Principles of the International Humanitarian Law, were formulated on the 20th International Conference of the Red Cross, held in Vienna in 1965. This does not mean that the Red Cross did not have an idealogy even before. Since the very beginning of the Red Cross as a humanitarian organization, the founders of this Movement, numerous humanists and ideologists, were trying to codify those fundamental directions and specific Principles on which the humanitarian activity of the Red Cross is based. Their special concerne was to define the way of difusion and to shape those directions which separate the Red Cross from other similar humanitarian non-government organizations and which include what is specific for the Red Cross.

Since the Movement was established during the previous century, the principles of the Red Cross were developing and improved. At the beginning, there were four principles, then they were added seven more, which makes a total of eleven, and within the doctrine, there were mentioned even thirteen principles. Among the persons who were the most important for the theoretical elaboration and study of the directions and principles, the most outstanding would be Jean Pictet from the International Committee of the Red Cross. The principles which are in power and to which approached and are obliged all the national societies in the world, are: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voulntary service, unity and universality.

It is not enough to have only the Principles formulated, which are very concise, but it is also important that them, who are concerned with the difusion, are able to transfere to the partakers of various meetings of the Red Cross or to the people outside the Red Cross, if the other categories of citizens are concerned, the essential meaning of the principles, so that they accept them in their everyday actions and behaviour.