Assessing the Process of Making Public the ICRC's Archives (1966–1975)
Background and Terms of Reference
A. Background
The ICRC makes its general archives available to the public in batches. From 2010, there was a great deal
of discussion within the ICRC about the batch to be made public in 2015 that covered the period 1966–
1975. This was because those archives would provide information on some conflicts and activities in
places where the ICRC still operates. At the heart of the debate were issues that revolved around how to
ensure the organization could continue to fulfil its mandate, e.g. acceptance of the ICRC’s role by those
who don’t work for the organization, the safety and security of staff and their families and the credibility
of the ICRC as a neutral, impartial and independent organization.
In its meeting of 16–17 February 2011, the Assembly decided to go ahead with making public the general
archives for 1966–1975 from January 2015 onwards. The Assembly also decided to ask the Directorate to
look into the potential risks of declassifying the archives and to take appropriate steps in advance.
To finalize the declassification process, the Archives and Information Management Division (CIM_AIM)
put forward a timetable, setting out what had to be done by when and by which operational region at
headquarters:
From July 2012 to December 2013
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Regions look in the files and identify what specific files/issues might generate controversy
Action to be taken by: Regions
Written replies from the regions compiled
Action to be taken by: Regions then the Preservation and Inventories Unit (CIM_AIM_PRI)
From January 2014 to December 2014
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Draft reactive press releases for operations and files that might generate controversy
Action to be taken by: Library and Public Archives Unit (CIM_AIM_LPA) with the regions, the
Public Relations Unit (CIM_COM_PR) and the Preservation and Inventories Unit (CIM_AIM_PRI).
On the eve of making the archives public at the end of 2014, there was renewed discussion about
possible problems, this time about managing security risks for delegates in the field. After looking into
the issue, the Assembly agreed on 23 March 2015 that files containing information that could endanger
staff safety or the ICRC’s ability to continue working in certain situations should be reclassified to remain
inaccessible for another 40 to 60 years.
Making the 1966–1975 archives public has brought to light diverging points of view. The process for this
batch of archives has shown that the rules governing access to the archives should be looked at again,
given the unique nature of the ICRC’s archives. The Directorate has therefore decided to ask the
Assembly to reconsider the time-frame and criteria governing access to the archives before declassifying
the next batch of archives (1976–1985).
Directorate decision
In its meeting of 10 March 2015 (DIR 2182), the Directorate decided that:
“A report shall be drafted by CIM_AIM with the people concerned, in particular the Department of
Operations.”
B. Terms of Reference
Purpose
The Archives and Information Management Division (CIM_AIM) would like to hire a consultant to carry
out an assessment and provide a clear, objective report on how the archives for 1966–1975 were made
public. The consultant must have good knowledge of the ICRC and how it works, but must neither
already work for the ICRC nor have been involved in the process of making the archives public.
The aim of the assessment is to be able to draw lessons from how the last batch was made public in
order to improve the process of making the next batch (1976–1985) available, building on the positive
aspects and not repeating past mistakes.
The consultant should address the following questions:
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What could have been done differently/better?
What should be done differently when making future batches of archives public (i.e. provide
recommendations)?
What mistakes should be avoided?
What lessons can we learn from declassifying archives that could feed into discussions on
revising the rules on access to archives?
Working methods and scope
The consultant should conduct a number of interviews with all the people and teams involved in the
process of making the archives public, namely the archivists, the historian, the operational regions and
director of operations, the Legal Division, the Directorate and governing bodies, the heads of the
Communication and Information Management Department, the person in charge of data protection, the
Public Relations Unit, the HR department and two or three of the heads of delegation in the regions
concerned. The consultant should also examine a number of documents, in particular those relating to
the decision-making process in the lead-up to making the archives public. He or she may use
questionnaires in his or her work.
The main questions to be answered are:
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In terms of management, were the planning stages for making the archives public properly
carried out? Were the right people and teams involved? Were the different people and teams
involved able to communicate and work together effectively?
Were the duties and responsibilities of the different people involved compatible? What issues
arose around cost, efficiency, working methods and resources?
Deliverables
A report, written in English, containing guidelines and recommendations for when the next batch of
archives are made public.
Profile of consultant
Experience in lessons learnt; good knowledge of humanitarian work, specifically knowledge of the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement gained from experience at the ICRC.
Timetable
Estimated number of working days required: 30 days between December 2015 and March 2016.