In 1989 USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev addressed the Global Forum for the Survival of Humanity and proposed the formation of an organisation which would apply the medical emergency response model of Red Cross International to ecological issues and expedite solutions to environmental problems that transcend national boundaries.

Green Cross International (GCI) was formally launched in Kyoto, on 18 April 1993 with many renowned personalities on its Board of Directors and Honorary Board.

Green Cross International sought to establish national affiliates, which would enjoy autonomy in conducting their own projects but would also participate in at least one international programme. Green Cross is now represented in 30 countries around the world.

 

At Brisbane Festival's Earth Dialogues in July 2006, Mikhail Gorbachev and Alexander Likhotal, President and CEO of Green Cross International, signed an agreement with then Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and Lord Mayor Campbell Newman to establish a Green Cross in Brisbane.

 

Green Cross Australia was launched on 14 June 2007 in Brisbane with the vision of reconnecting humanity and the environment.

 

"Australia is a key country for GCI: Green Cross Australia will lead the call to action across this vast, diverse land and reinvigorate citizens in the quest for a sustainable and peaceful future for the Pacific region.
Australia is a beacon of democracy and stability, but at the same time a nation with highly consumptive habits which emit more carbon dioxide per person than any other country apart from the United States.
The potential for Green Cross Australia to forge partnerships needed to activate concrete change is clear."
Mikhail Gorbachev, June 14, 2007