Archives at the service of humanitarian work: the casE of the missing

1. Archives at the service of humanitarian work: the casE of the missing Presentation ICA/ISO May 2019

2. Agenda • Introduction: ICRC, its archives and its work on the missing • Access by third-parties to ICRC’s archives to find missing people • Access by ICRC to third-parties’ archives to find missing people • Crossing millions of data of digitized archives: the way forward

3. I. INTRODUCTIONwho we are and how we work

4. WHO WE ARE • ICRC created in 1863 • Independent, neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. • Response to emergencies and promotion for IHL • Budget 2019: 2 billions $ • Staff: 18 000 (including 2 800 expats)

5. ICRC archives since 1863 • 25 linear kilometers of paper archives • Millions of records related to individuals (3kml) • Audiovisual Archives web portal since 2016 with more than 104’000 photos, 3’200 films and 3’900 audio archives.

6. Rules of access to Archives • First opening in 1996 with closure periods of 50 /100 years • In 2004, reduced to 40/60 years In 2017, these rules were revised and closure periods increased to 50/70/90 years

7. Confidentiality and privilege of non disclosure • Modus operandi: persuasion dialogue which implies a confidential approach • Privilege of non disclosure internationally recognized because of protection of the people affected by conflict, data protection and security of our own staff • The privilege of non disclosure ends when archives are open to the public Access to closed archives is very restricted and limited.

8. The case of the missing people • People unaccounted for as a result of an armed conflict or internal violence. • Families have the right to know the fate of their missing loved ones. • During and after the conflict, the ICRC collects information from the families for each case = individual file • ICRC also collects information on events = general reports.

9. Missing Persons • Wars may end but not the search for the missing • Families will keep on looking until they have an answer, and this decades after the tragic events. • The need to gain access to past information to solve missing cases of today is increasing Increasing requests to gain access to archives

10. II. ACCESS TO ICRC’s Archives • When families asked = ICRC provides all the information it can provide. • First “institutional” request in 90’s to gain access to ICRC archives on missing people (Cyprus) • Since 2010, several requests linked to past conflicts/violence in Latin and Central America, Algeria, Tunisia, Israel/OT, etc • All of these requests imply access to our closed and sensitive archives (data protection) NO except for one case

11. BUT ICRC recognizes that: • No one can deny information if it can help resolve a missing case. • It is by crossing information from different sources that one will be able to make significant progress. • Different sources from our own archives AND also from different archival sources of actors present during the conflict • On whatever supports

12. Possible answers on access to ICRC archives • Access by derogation to classified archives? • Boost our own action on the basis of our information contained in the archives? • Ad hoc specific agreements? • Right now we are the ones requesting archives from other organizations

13. III. Finding missing persons using information from Multiples sourcesThe case of ex Yougoslavia

14. Progress on solving cases • 34’992 persons were registered missing by the ICRC from 1991 to 2000 • 70% of missing persons case solved • 10’261 persons still currently missing (as of Nov.2018) • Strong decrease of identifications in the last years • Reaching our limits in finding more information… Search for external additional information since 2009

15. Additional archival sources • Identification of several International/National organisations thatcouldpotentially have relevant archives. • Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunal (MICT) • NATO • OSCE • United Nations • National archives from police, military, hospital, mortuaries, cemeteries, burialcompanies… ICRC had positive answers from NATO and different NATO countries, with either a direct access to archives or the sending of specific documents.

16. What type of archives? • Report on human remains found • Report on bodies brought to mortuaries • Report on potential grave sites • Report of disappearance • Exhumation/burial report • Photographs of bodies found, grave sites, crime scenes, exhumation, burial • Medical examination report • Coordinates of location where human remains were found or suspected grave sites…

17. What do we do with the documents we receive? 1. Depending on agreements, confidentiality and data protection, the ICRC may share relevant documentation with the authorities in charge of investigating missing persons’ cases. 2. The ICRC analyzes the documentation received crosschecks its own records and other documents in its possession and submits analytical reports to the authorities recommending actions whenever the following information is found: • New information about the fate of the missing, • A potential grave site, • A miss-identification, • Presumptive identification for an unidentified body already exhumed

18. IV. Missing persons digital matchingleveraging the use of technology and digital capabilities to support the search of missing persons and increase the case resolution.

19. A feasibility study on • Defining a solution for the secure search and matching of data identity records between all records in ICRC, the RC/RC data bases, and records in other relevant DB from external actors starting with a UNHCR (Primes ecosystem ) as a pilot. Additional internal and external data sources are to be added as the project goes on. • The study looks into the potential of using algorithmic capabilities and other AI possibilities to facilitate the search and matching.

20. The As-Is and hints on To-BE

21. Capturing the scope

22. Areas of focus in the feasibility study Costs? budget? timelines?

23. Data sources Integration • attachments (CIM AIM, prot 6 PCP DET reports) • Social media • Public media The feasibility study is focusing on the sources to deliver in phase 1 and establishing parameters to consider new sources for the phases to come within the to be project. This order is indicative as per the feasibility course. The to-be a project would prioritize/ consider additional sources if/when opportunity abounds.

24. Key elements to retain • The tool will not substitute it the existing FL network and human capital in conducting tracing remains important and crucial • Consent/verification processes are non negotiable elements in the matching • Data sensitivity, protection and security will be integrated by design in the tool • The matching tool will be designed to accommodate new data sources as they emerge and seem to fit the purpose • Incremental approach/ test and learn, refine then replicate will be the methodology • Data quality is key to the strength of the results (exact vs possible matches)

25. Where are we as of today? • Feasibility study has been made with positive outcome • We have entered the phase 1 of the project. • Digitizing series of our own general paper archives of 1991 -2000 is planned in stage 4. • This is in addition to the other initiatives and not in replacement.

26. Conclusions • Archives are opening up doors to a new audience beyond the traditional historian and academics circles • Thanks to new analytical tools, data contained in archives can become very powerful in preventing/solving current/future crises • Their potential is multiplied when there is more data available = crosscutting different sources of archives • The challenge is confidentiality, including data protection. We must find ways to ensure confidentiality of data whilst sharing general conclusions that can be useful for humanity.