The ICRC archives have decided to entrust an external provider with the digitization of its fonds. In consultation with this provider, it has been decided that the digitization work could not be carried out at the ICRC’s premises in Geneva. Various series of archives will therefore be sent to our service provider for digitization. As a result, they will no longer be available for consultation in the reading room.

To avoid disappointment, readers are advised to check in advance that the collections they are interested in will be available during their visit to the archives.

Which series are being removed from consultation?

The following table will be updated regularly and will enable readers to keep track of which series are being removed from consultation. In some cases, microfiches and microfilms exist and may be made available to researchers. Where applicable, the existence of these microfilms will be mentioned in the table.

Series reference Expected date of return to the ICRC archives Existence of microformat copies
B G 59 Israélites On the dd/mm/yyyy Yes, for further guidance ask the archivists
B G 044 Otages et détenus politiques On the dd/mm/yyyy Yes, for further guidance ask the archivists
B SEC DAS Division d’assistance spéciale On the dd/mm/yyyy Yes, for further guidance ask the archivists
D AM USA1 Délégation de Washington On the dd/mm/yyyy No
D AO HONGK1 Délégation de Hong-Kong On the dd/mm/yyyy No

How should I organize my visit to the archives during the digitization program?

We recommend that readers plan their visit to the archives as far in advance as possible, using the selection module in the online catalogue. This will enable archivists to check the availability of the references you wish to consult and to get back to you quickly if the requested references have been removed from public access.

How were the series selected for digitization?

In 2025, we developed a prioritization table. This table allowed us to establish priorities among the different series of archives to be digitized. This prioritization was based on several parameters: the fragility of the collection and its conditions of preservation, how often it is consulted, its relevance to the study of the history of the ICRC, and the existence of descriptive tools enabling searches to be carried out within the collection. The series sent for digitization will be based largely on this prioritization grid.

However, as a precaution, we will endeavor not to send series on very similar subjects at the same time. In the event of an accident or problem during transport, there would be a risk of losing a great deal of information on the same subject and creating highly detrimental ‘source effects’. To this end, we will endeavor to ‘mix’ different series dealing with contexts and subjects that are sufficiently distant from each other in order to limit the risk of information loss.

When will the digitized archives be accessible from the online catalogue?

Unfortunately, not immediately, as our online platform does not currently allow this. We hope to set up a platform with a viewer that will allow online access within a few years. A more precise timetable will be provided as the project progresses.

Until they are available online, the archives will remain available for consultation in their original format in the reading room.