Established in 1863, the ICRC operates worldwide, helping people affected by conflict and armed violence and promoting the laws that protect victims of war. An independent and neutral organization, its mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We are based in Geneva, Switzerland, and employ over 20,000 people in more than 80 countries. The ICRC is funded mainly by voluntary donations from governments and from National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The ICRC’s collections of sound recordings, film footage, videos and photos illustrate and document the activities of the ICRC and of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as a whole from the end of the 19th century up to the present day, in all operational contexts. These archives have been continually expanded over more than 150 years and today represent a significant heritage in the field of humanitarian law and action. They preserve the memory of victims of armed conflicts and other situations of violence to which the ICRC has responded throughout its history.

A comprehensive suite of searchable resources for publications and materials created and published by the ICRC.

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

Created in 1863, the ICRC Library represents alongside the ICRC archives the indispensable documentary reference on the ICRC and IHL.

Established in 1869, the International Review of the Red Cross is a peer-reviewed, academic journal produced by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and published by Cambridge University Press. The Review's audience includes governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, humanitarian practitioners, academics, the media and all those interested in humanitarian issues.

The Annual report of the ICRC is an account of our field activities conducted worldwide. Activities are part of our mandate to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war, and to promote respect for international humanitarian law.

Links to the three ICRC databases on international humanitarian law.