In 1946/47 the ICRC moved its headquarters from the Villa Moynier to the former Carlton Hotel, built in 1876.
The neoclassical building on a hill above the Palace of Nations was provided to the organisation by the Canton of Geneva through a long-term lease.
At the same time, the IHL expert Jean Pictet (1914-2002) - who hailed from a Geneva family owning Pictet & Cie bank and played a key role in drafting the 1949 Geneva Conventions for the protection of victims of war - created the Archives Division:
"A general comprehensive filing plan was then adopted in 1950 – the so-called 'Pictet Plan', in reference to its creator, Jean Pictet, who was then director of the Division of General Affairs, which included the archives.
The filing plan comprised both thematic and geographic referential numbering.
It applied to the whole institution until 1972 and to the Archives Division until 1997."

Meanwhile, the ICRC archives grew with the increase of conflicts during decolonisation and the so-called Cold War, which was a "hot war" in many places.
They included:
the French Indochina War (1946–1954);
the 1948 Palestinian Exodus;
the Korean War (1950–1953);
the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian Revolution (1956);
the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962);
the Congo Crisis (1960–1965);
the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
the North Yemen Civil War (1962–1970);
In 1963, the ICRC received its third Nobel Peace Prize after 1917 and 1944, making it the recipient of the most awards up to now.
Already three years ago, the Central PoW Agency had acquired a permanent status within the ICRC as the Central Tracing Agency.
Thus it was prepared to expand its acitivites in more conflicts that broke out in subsquent years, particularly in:
the Vietnam War (1964-1975);
the Six-Day War of 1967;
the Nigeria-Biafra War (1967–1970);
the Greek junta (1967-1974);
the coup d'état against President Salvador Allende in Chile (1973);
the 1973 Yom Kippur War;
the 1974 Cyprus conflict;
the end of the Portuguese colonial empire in the wars of independence in Mozambique and Angola (1975); and
the Cambodian genocide (1975-1979) and Cambodian–Vietnamese War (1978-1989)

Until 1973, public access to records of the archives was generally barred, though the ICRC directorate could consider individual requests.
It was 110 years after its inception that the ICRC Assembly as the governing body of the organisation formalised this case-by-case practise as a first step of opening up:
"The system of ad hoc derogations allowing access to select archival materials was however denounced by researchers as being incoherent, partial and subjective.
Furthermore, by the late 1970s and 1980s, the social mood began channelling growing criticism towards the ICRC’s perceived role and stance during the Second World War, specifically regarding the Nazi genocide and concentration camps.
Voices were raised across society calling for accountability for the perceived lack of action by the ICRC, and for transparency in relation to its past.
The institution’s reputation was being challenged from several angles.
If prior to this the ICRC had managed its image by mostly keeping its archives out of the public arena, it seemed that maintaining its reputation depended on bringing them to the fore, albeit with due respect for confidentiality.
In terms of public image, transparency was becoming a stronger tool than secrecy."

In 1979, the ICRC created a precedent when it granted unlimited access to Jean-Claude Favez, professor at the University of Geneva, for his study about the role of the ICRC in the Holocaust.
He only published his book in 1988, but it was groundbreaking both for Switzerland in general and the ICRC in particular.
Just in the previous year, the former top-diplomat Cornelio Sommaruga had become the new ICRC President.
He has been widely credited for leading the opening of the archives, which in 1984 had moved into a newly constructed seven-storey administrative office block next to the historical "Le Carlton" headquarters, symbolising the transition into a modern archival culture.

Yet, despite So
In 1946/47 the ICRC moved its headquarters from the Villa Moynier to the former Carlton Hotel, built in 1876. The neoclassical building on a hill above the Palace of Nations was provided to the organisation by the Canton of Geneva through a long-term lease. At the same time, the IHL expert Jean Pictet (1914-2002) - who hailed from a Geneva family owning Pictet & Cie bank and played a key role in drafting the 1949 Geneva Conventions for the protection of victims of war - created the Archives Division:
"A general comprehensive filing plan was then adopted in 1950 – the so-called 'Pictet Plan', in reference to its creator, Jean Pictet, who was then director of the Division of General Affairs, which included the archives. The filing plan comprised both thematic and geographic referential numbering. It applied to the whole institution until 1972 and to the Archives Division until 1997."
Meanwhile, the ICRC archives grew with the increase of conflicts during decolonisation and the so-called Cold War, which was a "hot war" in many places. They included:
the French Indochina War (1946–1954);
the 1948 Palestinian Exodus;
the Korean War (1950–1953);
the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian Revolution (1956);
the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962);
the Congo Crisis (1960–1965);
the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
the North Yemen Civil War (1962–1970);
In 1963, the ICRC received its third Nobel Peace Prize after 1917 and 1944, making it the recipient of the most awards up to now. Already three years ago, the Central PoW Agency had acquired a permanent status within the ICRC as the Central Tracing Agency. Thus it was prepared to expand its acitivites in more conflicts that broke out in subsquent years, particularly in:
the Vietnam War (1964-1975);
the Six-Day War of 1967;
the Nigeria-Biafra War (1967–1970);
the Greek junta (1967-1974);
the coup d'état against President Salvador Allende in Chile (1973);
the 1973 Yom Kippur War;
the 1974 Cyprus conflict;
the end of the Portuguese colonial empire in the wars of independence in Mozambique and Angola (1975); and
the Cambodian genocide (1975-1979) and Cambodian–Vietnamese War (1978-1989)

Until 1973, public access to records of the archives was generally barred, though the ICRC directorate could consider individual requests. It was 110 years after its inception that the ICRC Assembly as the governing body of the organisation formalised this case-by-case practise as a first step of opening up:
"The system of ad hoc derogations allowing access to select archival materials was however denounced by researchers as being incoherent, partial and subjective. Furthermore, by the late 1970s and 1980s, the social mood began channelling growing criticism towards the ICRC’s perceived role and stance during the Second World War, specifically regarding the Nazi genocide and concentration camps. Voices were raised across society calling for accountability for the perceived lack of action by the ICRC, and for transparency in relation to its past. The institution’s reputation was being challenged from several angles. If prior to this the ICRC had managed its image by mostly keeping its archives out of the public arena, it seemed that maintaining its reputation depended on bringing them to the fore, albeit with due respect for confidentiality. In terms of public image, transparency was becoming a stronger tool than secrecy."
In 1979, the ICRC created a precedent when it granted unlimited access to Jean-Claude Favez, professor at the University of Geneva, for his study about the role of the ICRC in the Holocaust. He only published his book in 1988, but it was groundbreaking both for Switzerland in general and the ICRC in particular. Just in the previous year, the former top-diplomat Cornelio Sommaruga had become the new ICRC President. He has been widely credited for leading the opening of the archives, which in 1984 had moved into a newly constructed seven-storey administrative office block next to the historical "Le Carlton" headquarters, symbolising the transition into a modern archival culture.
Yet, despite So
International Committee of the Red Cross archives