The purpose of the Conference was to offer the Directors of National Archives the chance to meet on a regular basis. Initially, CITRA had only some 50 participants but, very rapidly, invitations were extended to the Presidents of national associations followed, in 2001, by the Presidents of the ICA Sections and the Secretaries of the ICA Regional branches. CITRA events were gathering of between 160 and 220 high-level archival professionals, the number of countries represented varying between 65 and 80.
The four issues addressed at the Congress were: dealing with modern archives, microphotography, preservation of private and professional archives and publications on archives.
Ce comité s'est réuni pour la première fois à londres en septembre 1970. En 1981, il est remplacé par la Commission pour le développement des archives.
Le FIDA a été créé dans le cadre de l'ICA d'un instrument nécessaire à la mise en œuvre de son programme pour le développement des archives. Les projets financés par le fonds ou réalisés avec sa participation comprennent: des séminaires, des missions de consultants, des voyages, des bourses d'études, des programmes de publications et de microfilmage.
1968 SARBICA (Southeast Asian Regional Branch) 1969 ESARBICA (Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch) 1972 ARBICA (Arab Regional Branch) 1975 CARBICA (Caribbean Regional Branch) 1976 SWARBICA (South and West Asian Regional Branch) 1976 ALAICA(Association of Latin American Archives) 1977 WARBICA (West African Regional Branch) 1981 PARBICA (Pacific Regional Branch) 1982 CENARBICA (Central African Regional Branch) 1993 EASTICA (East Asian Regional Branch) 2000 EURASICA (Eurasia Regional Branch) 2001 EURBICA (European Regional Branch) 2004 NAANICA (the North American Archival Network)
“The meeting of a group of archiving experts constituted the decisive stage. The group met in Paris at the instigation of UNESCO on 9 June 1948, which was therefore the date on which the ICA was officially founded, the first Provisional Council being chaired by Charles Samaran, Director General of Archives de France, who was succeeded by Charles Braibant from 1950. The Constituent Assembly held on 20 August 1950 during the 1st International Congress on Archives and finalised the ICA constitution and amended the version produced at the inaugural meeting of the Provisional Council of June 1948.”