The Geneva Conventions comprise a series of international treaties that establish the basis of international humanitarian law. Originating in 1864 as the initiative of social activist Henri Dunant (1828–1910), the First Geneva Convention defined the basic rights of wartime prisoners and provided protection for the wounded and civilians. After the experiences of World War II, four conventions were adopted by a diplomatic conference in Geneva on August 12, 1949: (1) The Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field; (2) The Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea; (3) The Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War; and (4) The Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Additional protocols were adopted in 1977.