The Geneva Convention(s)

There have been a number of Geneva Conventions over the years. The 1929 one was neither the first nor the last, although it was the first to deal specifically with prisoners of war; but this was not its only subject matter.

The first Geneva Convention was adopted in 1864, on the formation of the Red Cross. It recognised the neutrality of that agency, and allowed it to provide aid in a war zone.

Other agreements followed in 1907 and 1929; these were upheld and expanded at a series of conferences in 1949, held in the light of the war crimes disclosed at the Nuremberg trials. The 1949 conferences yielded four distinct conventions:

The First Geneva Convention was the fourth update of the original 1864 convention, and also replaced the 1929 convention as it related to the treatment of the sick and wounded in the field
The Second Geneva Convention extended the structure and provisions of the First Convention to cover maritime warfare
The Third Geneva Convention replaced those provisions of the 1929 convention that related to prisoners of war
The Fourth Geneva Convention was a new provision, concerning the protection of civilians in times of war

There is (as you would expect) more detail on Wikipedia.

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