During 2004, the ICRC expanded its operations and reached greater numbers of people in need despite a difficult security environment. ICRC delegates visited more than 570,000 people deprived of their freedom in some 80 countries; ICRC water, sanitation and construction projects catered for the needs of around 20 million people; the ICRC supported hospitals and health-care facilities serving some 2.8 million people; it also provided essential household goods to more than 2.2 million people, food aid to 1.3 million people and assistance to another 1.1 million people in the form of sustainable food-production and micro-economic initiatives.

The Annual Report provides an in-depth account of the ICRC's operations in 2004, broken down by country. There is a section covering activities carried out at the Geneva headquarters and another includes operational statistics and a statement of accounts. The report includes an up-to-date list of countries party to the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.