How to locate ICRC statements and news releases dating from pre-2014
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) maintains a well‑organized archive of its public communications. While all statements and news releases issued as of 2014 are readily accessible through the main site (www.icrc.org), earlier material lives in a dedicated PDF archive. Below is a step‑by‑step guide, with a few extra tips, to help you locate any ICRC statement or news release dated before 2014.
1. Start at the ICRC’s website
Here you’ll find the latest press releases and statements, going back to 2014.
2. Dive into the Pre‑2014 PDF Archive
The ICRC stores older releases as PDFs in a year‑based directory here
How to browse by year:
- Visit the archive link.
- You’ll see a list of years (e.g., 2000, 2001 … 2013). Click the desired year.
- Inside each yearly folder, PDFs are named descriptively (often beginning with the release date, e.g., 2005-06-15_Statement_on_Humanitarian_Aid.pdf).
- Click a PDF to view or download it.
If you know part of a title, a keyword, or a specific date, you can narrow results without manually scrolling through every file:
| Method | How to Use |
|---|---|
| Browser “Find” | After opening a yearly index page, press Ctrl + F (or ⌘ + F) and type your keyword. |
| Google Site Search | In Google, type site:blogs.icrc.org/cross-files/news-releases <your keyword> and optionally add a date range with before:2014-01-01. |
| Advanced Google Search | Use the Tools → Any time → Custom range to restrict results to 1990‑2013. |
| Wayback Machine | If a particular year’s index appears missing, enter the archive URL into archive.org/web to view historic snapshots. |
3. Request Materials Not Publicly Listed
Sometimes a specific document may not be indexed or could be missing from the PDF list. For further assistance, you can contact the ICRC archives directly. Send a concise request to publicarchives@icrc.org and include:
- Title or subject of the document (if known)
- Approximate date or year
- Reason for the request (research, citation, etc.)
The archive team usually replies within a few business days and can supply PDFs that are not publicly linked.
By following these steps, you should be able to locate virtually any ICRC statement or news release issued before 2014, whether you’re conducting scholarly research, preparing a briefing, or simply satisfying personal curiosity. Happy digging!
Quick Reference Checklist
✅ For post‑2014 releases click here.
✅ For pre‑2014 PDFs click here.
✅ Browse by year or use Google site search for keywords/date ranges.
✅ Check the Wayback Machine if a year appears missing.
✅ Contact the archives via the provided form or email for unavailable documents.
