ICA Reference Documents
The Council is the voice of archives on the world stage. Its business is based upon a number of defining documents which explain the purpose of both ICA and the archive profession.
Read the internationally adopted Code of Ethics which describes the ethical foundation on which all ICA members base their work, or take a look at the speech of Archbishop Desmond Tutu to Round Table Conference. Learn about how the ICA works through documents such as the Constitution.
All these documents can be downloaded from this website for free.
ICA Constitution
« Archives constitute the memory of nations and of societies, shape their identity, and are a cornerstone of the information society. By providing evidence of human actions and transactions, archives support administration and underlie the rights of individuals, organisations and states. By guaranteeing citizens' rights of access to official information and to knowledge of their history, archives are fundamental to democracy, accountability and good governance » (Preamble)
Available in English, French and Spanish
ICA Strategic Implementation Plan 2014-2018
Available in English and French
ICA Strategic Direction 2008-2018
The purpose of this document is to provide a clear statement of why ICA has chosen this strategic direction and what it wishes to achieve over the next ten years.
Available in English, French, Spanish and Russian
Business Plan 2008-2010
Available in English and French
ICA Code of Ethics
The General Assembly of the ICA held in Beijing, China, formally adopted the ICA Code of Ethics on 6 September 1996.
Universal Declaration on Archives
The Delegates of the Annual General Meeting of the ICA held in Oslo, Norway, formally adopted the Universal Declaration on Archives on 17 September 2010.
The Declaration was officialy endorsed by the UNESCO in plenary session on 10 November 2011.
ICA Annual Reports
- Annual reports 2011, available in English and French
Position Statements
- Declaration of the ICA Executive Board at Guangzhou, China, 10-13 April 1995. Available in English
Major Speeches
- Archibishop Desmond Tutu keynote address at the CITRA conference in Capetown, South Africa, 21 October 2003. Available in English