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 July 2026  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B G 044 Otages et détenus politiques July 2026  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B SEC DAS Division d’assistance spéciale July 2026  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
D AM USA1 Délégation de Washington July 2026 Non
D AO HONGK1 Délégation de Hong-Kong July 2026 Non
B COM BAH “Bureau des activités humanitaires” December 2026 Non
B Mis MSB “Mission en Sibérie” December 2026 Non
B SEC CGSG “Gestion des secours en Grèce” December 2026 Non
O CMS “Commission mixte de secours” December 2026 Non
D AF DAHOM “Délégation de Cotonou” December 2026 Non
D AF GUINECQ “Délégation de Guinée équatoriale” December 2026 Non
D EUR BELG1 “Délégation en Belgique” December 2026 Non
D EUR DE1 “Délégations en Allemagne” December 2026 Non
D EUR ITA1 “Délégations en Italie” December 2026 Non
D EUR NL1 “Délégation au Pays-Bas” December 2026 Non
D EUR ROUMA1 “délégation en Roumanie” December 2026 Non
D EUR YOUGO1 “Délégation de Belgrade” December 2026 Non
D AF NIGERIA “Délégation au Nigeria” (except for classified part) December 2026 Non
B G 058 “Information” December 2026 Non
B G 059/I/GC “Guerre civile en Palestine” December 2026 Non
B G 008/20 “Délégation en Argentine “ December 2026 Non
B G 008/47  “Délégation aux États-Unis d’Amérique” December 2026 Non
B G 008/76  “Délégation au Japon” December 2026 Non
C ESCI “Guerre d’Espagne” December 2026 Non
B COM BAH “Bureau des activités humanitaires” December 2026 Non
B Mis MSB “Mission en Sibérie” December 2026 Non
D EUR France1 0001 à 0552 « Délégation en France » February 2027 Non
B G 017  “Camps et listes des effectifs” February 2027 Non
O Commixt “Commission mixte Ligue-CICR” February 2027 Non
O UISE “Missions entreprises par les délégués du CICR pour le compte de l’UISE” February 2027 Non
B Mis CR 087 “Secours aux réfugiés russes” February 2027 Non
B Mis PG/IC “Missions concernant l’assistance et la protection des prisonniers de guerre, des internés civils, des réfugiés et des populations civiles” February 2027 Non
B Mis San “Missions sanitaires en Europe centrale, orientale et Russie” February 2027 Non
B AG 047″Contentieux” February 2027 Non
B AG 049 “Affaires juridiques diverses” February 2027 Non
B AG 050 “Généralités concernant des projets de conventions nouvelles” February 2027 Non
B AG 51 “Protection des populations civiles” February 2027 Non
B AG 052 “Lieux de Genève, zones de sécurité” February 2027 Non
B AG 053 “Protection des monuments historiques, protection des biens culturels” February 2027 Non
B AG 059 “Développement du Droit international humanitaire” February 2027 Non
A PV A Pl « Séances plénières du Comité puis de l’Assemblée » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV A AIPG « Procès-Verbaux de l’AIPG » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV A HC « Procès-verbaux des séances à huis clos » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV A ST « Séances de travail » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV A SP « Collection des documents SP (Séances plénières du Comité) » February 2027 Non
A PV A Info1 ; A PV A Info2 February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV B Pl “Séances plénières du Bureau » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV B Doc « Ordre du jour et notes pour le Bureau » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV B OG « Commission des œuvres de guerre » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV B CC « Commission centrale » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV B Coord « Commission de coordination” February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV C1 AA « Sous-commission de la Présidence pour les affaires allemandes » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV C1 Pl « Séances plénières du Conseil de Présidence » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B CR 093 « Procès-verbaux de la Commission de la Conférence diplomatique, octobre 1922, juin 1923 » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV Ind « Index cumulatif des procès-verbaux des séances du Comité, des séances de travail et et des séances du Conseil de présidence » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV Cour « Séances du courrier » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV CA « Commission administrative” February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV Jour « Journal » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B CR 210-PV « Éthiopie, Procès-verbaux, septembre 1935 à août 1936 » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B CR 159-PV « Procès-verbaux de la Commission internationale d’experts pour la protection juridique des populations civiles contre les dangers de la guerre aéro-chimique » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B CR 154-PV « Procès-verbaux de l’IEMS (Institut d’étude du matériel sanitaire) » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B CR 212 PV « Procès-verbaux de la Commission d’Espagne » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B CR 108-PV « Procès-Verbaux de la Commission Croix-Rouge, du 10 avril 1922 au 15 septembre 1923 » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B CR 233-PV « Commission médicale consultative du CICR, procès-verbaux et comptes-rendus de séances du 3 novembre 1943 au 07 février 1947. » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV M « Commission du Monument de la Croix-Rouge » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
A PV JUR « Commission juridique » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B DIR PV « Procès-verbaux des séances de la direction » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B G 003 PV « Commission des délégations : procès-verbaux » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B OP CAE « Commission des affaires extérieures » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B Mis PV « Procès-verbaux de la Commission des missions » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
C G2 PV CPIC « Commission Prisonniers et Internés civils : procès-verbaux » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
C G2 PV RCS « Réunions des chefs de service : procès-verbaux » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B G PV Dél « Procès-verbaux des séances des délégations » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
C G2 PV SCA « Commission et sous-commission de l’Agence : procès-verbaux » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
C G2 PV SCAC « Commission des prisonniers et internés civils, sous-commission de l’Agence » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
C G2 PV SCAB « Sous-commission de l’Agence “B” » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
C G2 PV DPIC « Division PIC, réunion des chefs de section » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
C G2 PV RTA « Réunions techniques de l’Agence » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B G 086 PV « Commission d’après-guerre » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists
B G PV STC « Séances de travail présidées par M. Chenevière » February 2027  Yes, for further guidance, ask the archivists

 

 

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.