Comité international de la Croix-Rouge

  • International Committee of the Red Cross
  • ACICR

Address

19, avenue de la Paix
Geneva
Geneva
CH 1202
Switzerland

Phone

+41 22 734 60 01
+41 22 730 2966

Fax

+41 22 733 20 57

Email



Web

https://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/icrc-archives/

History

Since its creation in 1863, the ICRC's sole objective has been to ensure protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and strife. It does so through its direct action around the world, as well as by encouraging the development of international humanitarian law (IHL) and promoting respect for it by governments and all weapon bearers. Its story is about the development of humanitarian action, the Geneva Conventions and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

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Mandates/Sources of Authority

The legal bases of any action undertaken by the ICRC are as follows:

  • The four Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol I confer on the ICRC a specific mandate to act in the event of international armed conflict. In particular, the ICRC has the right to visit prisoners of war and civilian internees. The Conventions also give the ICRC a broad right of initiative.
  • In non-international armed conflicts, the ICRC enjoys a right of humanitarian initiative recognized by the international community and enshrined in Article 3 common to the four Geneva Conventions.
  • In the event of internal disturbances and tensions, and in any other situation that warrants humanitarian action, the ICRC also enjoys a right of initiative, which is recognized in the Statutes of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Thus, wherever international humanitarian law does not apply, the ICRC may offer its services to governments without that offer constituting interference in the internal affairs of the State concerned.

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Records Management and Collecting Policies

The ICRC archives collect and preserve ICRC documents dating from the organization's inception to the present day, and make them available for research.

The Strategy for Archives, Records and Library Collections (ARC) 2019 2023

Archival and Other Holdings

The ICRC's historical archives comprise 6,700 linear metres of textual records and a collection of photographs, films and other audio archives.

The general public archives cover the history of the Institution since its foundation in 1863 until 1975.

The Agency archives contain data about individuals that has been collected by the ICRC in the course of its humanitarian work in armed conflicts and other situations of violence.

The ICRC's audiovisual archives consist of photographs (1850-), films/videos (1921-) and sound recordings (1940-). They illustrate and document the institution's activities in armed conflicts and other situations of violence around the world. These collections are continuously enriched.

Tens of thousands of documents are available in digital format on the ICRC audiovisual archives portal. If you have any questions about these collections, you can contact the archivists at avarchives@icrc.org .

Finding Aids, Guides, and Publication

To mark the 150th anniversary of the First Geneva Convention, the Swiss National Library, in collaboration with the ICRC library, has digitised many original images and recordings. These are presented on the websites of the Swiss National Library and the ICRC and you can use them in your work.

Publications: CROSS-files

Opening Times

The public reading room is open, by appointment, from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Conditions of Access

Rules governing Access to the Archives of the International Committee of the Red Cross

You can use digital cameras and laptops in the ICRC archives reading room as long as you don’t disturb other readers. Scanners are forbidden.

Sources

  • ICRC Archive website consulted on 31/10/2014 and 06/01/2023

    Pierre-Alain Tallier (dir.), Gertjan Desmet & Pascale Falek-Alhadeff, Bronnen voor de geschiedenis van de Joden en het Jodendom in België, 19de-21ste eeuw, Brussel, ARA-AGR/Avant-Propos, 2016, 1328 p.

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