Memory of the World Programme: Difference between revisions

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{{Use British English|date=January 2022}}

[[File:Unesco Memory of the World Logo (English).png|thumb|Logo of the Memory of the World Programme]]

[[UNESCO]]'s '''Memory of the World''' ('''MoW''') '''Programme''' is an international initiative that recognises documentary heritage of global importance. It aims to safeguard the [[documentary heritage]] of humanity against [[collective amnesia]], neglect, decay over time and climatic conditions, as well as deliberate destruction. It calls for the [[historic preservation|preservation]] of valuable [[archival holdings]], library collections, and private individual compendia all over the world for posterity and increased accessibility to, and public awareness of, these items.<ref name="intro">{{cite book |last1=Edmondson |first1=Ray |editor1-last=Edmondson |editor1-first=Ray |editor2-last=Jordan |editor2-first=Lothar |editor3-last=Prodan |editor3-first=Anca Claudia |title=The UNESCO Memory of the World Programme: Key Aspects and Recent Developments |date=2020 |publisher=Springer |___location=Cham |isbn=978-3-030-18441-4 |pagepages=2221–22 |chapter=Memory of the World: An Introduction}}</ref><ref name=official>{{cite web| title=Official website |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world |publisher=UNESCO Memory of the World Programme |access-date=2025-06-17}}</ref><ref name=2003_memory>{{cite web| title= Twenty-three new inscriptions on Memory of the World Register of Documentary Collections | date=2003-09-01 |url= http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php@URL_ID=14264&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |publisher=UNESCO Press |access-date=2009-09-06}}</ref>

Following the establishment of the Memory of the World International Register, UNESCO and the Memory of the World Programme have encouraged the creation of autonomous national and regional committees as well as national and regional registers which focus on documentary heritage of great regional or national importance, but not necessarily of global importance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=UNESCO |title=MoW Committees |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/committees |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=UNESCO}}</ref>

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The Memory of the World International Register is a list of the world's documentary heritage with outstanding global significance – such as [[manuscript]]s, [[oral tradition]]s, audio-visual materials, and library and archive holdings.<ref name="strategy" /> It catalogues documentary heritage that has been recommended by the International Advisory Committee and endorsed by the [[Director-General of UNESCO]], using the selection criteria "world significance and outstanding universal value."<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 December 2023 |title=Memory of the World: Documentary heritage treasures of Africa |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/memory-world |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250217100352/https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/memory-world |archive-date=2025-02-17 |access-date=2025-06-17 |publisher=UNESCO Memory of the World Programme |language=en}}</ref> As well as raising awareness of this heritage, the register aims to promote its preservation, digitization, and dissemination by calling upon the programme's networks of experts.<ref name="2003_memory" /> The program also uses technology to provide wider accessibility and diffusion of information about the items inscribed on the register.<ref name="2003_memory" />

The first inscriptions on the International Register were made in 1997.<ref name="intro" /><ref name="2003_memory" /><ref name="1997_report">{{cite web |date=October 1997 |title=Third Meeting of the International Advisory Committee of the Memory of the World Programme, Tashkent, 29 September-1st October 1997: final report |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000109753 |access-date=2025-06-17 |publisher=UNESCO Memory of the World Programme}}</ref> The various properties in the register include recordings of [[folk music]]; [[ancient language]]s and [[phonetics]]; aged remnants of religious and secular manuscripts; collective lifetime works of renowned giants of literature; science and music; copies of landmark motion pictures and short films; and accounts documenting changes in the world's political, economic, and social stage.

As of April 2025, 570 pieces of documentary heritage had been inscribed in the International Register.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Memory of the World |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=UNESCO Memory of the World Programme}}</ref>

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Any organization or individual can nominate a documentary item for inscription on the International Register via [[Member states of UNESCO|UNESCO Member States]] through their [[National Commissions for UNESCO|National Commission for UNESCO]]. In the absence of a National Commission, the nomination is sent through the relevant government body in charge of relations with UNESCO, involving, if one exists, the relevant national MoW committee.<ref>{{Cite web |last=UNESCO |title=Memory of the World General Guidelines |url=https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/mow_general_guidelines_en.pdf |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=UNESCO}}</ref> Two proposals per UNESCO Member State are considered in each nomination cycle. There is no limit on joint nomination proposals from two or more UNESCO Member States.

The program is administered by the International Advisory Committee (IAC), whose 14 members are appointed by the [[Director-General of UNESCO]].<ref name="strategy" /><ref name="2003_memory" /> During its meetings, the IAC examines the full documentation of the item's description, origin, world significance, contemporary state of conservation and other criteria for admissibility. The IAC recommends to the [[UNESCO#Executive Board|Executive Board of UNESCO]] the items proposed for inscription.<ref>{{cite web |title=General Guidelines of the Memory of the World (MoW) Programme |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000378405 |access-date=3 March 2025 |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref> The IAC is responsible for the formulation of major policies, including the technical, legal and financial framework for the program. It also maintains several subsidiary bodies:<ref name="IAC">{{cite web |date=2009-08-11 |title=International Advisory Committee |url=http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=2254&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20160311102614/http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=2254&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |archive-date=2016-03-11 |access-date=2009-12-09 |publisher=UNESCO Memory of the World Programme}}</ref>

* ''Bureau'': Maintains an overview of the Programme between IAC meetings and makes tactical decisions in liaison with the Secretariat, reviews the use of the Memory of the World logo, and liaises with national Memory of the World committees and monitors their growth and operation.

* ''The Preservation Sub-Committee'': Develops, regularly revises and promulgates information guides on the preservation of documentary heritage, and offers advice on technical and preservation matters.

* ''Register Sub-Committee'': Oversees the assessment of nominations for the Memory of the World International Register and provides recommendations, with reasons, for their inscription or rejection to each meeting of the IAC.

* ''Education and Research Sub-committee'': Develops strategies and concepts for institutionalizing education and research on documentary heritage and helps developing innovative curricula and research on Memory of the World.

* ''The Secretariat at UNESCO:'' Provides support services to the International Advisory Committee (IAC) and its subsidiary bodies, and the general administration and monitoring of the Program. It is the contact point of the Program.<ref>{{Cite web |last=UNESCO |title=Secretariat |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/secretariat |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=UNESCO}}</ref>

* The Memory of the World Programme is implemented by UNESCO through ''regional and national committees''. These committees are autonomous from UNESCO and are composed of dedicated local heritage professionals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=UNESCO |title=MoW Committees |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/committees |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=UNESCO}}</ref>

== National and regional registers ==

Some national and regional Memory of the World committees maintain their own Memory of the World registers, highlighting documentary heritage of great national or regional importance.<ref>{{cite web |title=Unlocking the Past, Shaping the Future: UNESCO’s Memory of the World Registers for Collective Memory |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/documentary-heritage/explore |publisher=UNESCO Memory of the World Programme |access-date=15 July 2025}}</ref><ref name="russell_registers" /> National registers include:

* [[Brazil Memory of the World Register]]

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* [[UK Memory of the World Register]]

There are presently two regional registers: the Asia Pacific Regional Register and the Latin America and the Caribbean regional register'<ref name="russell_registers">{{cite book |last1=Russell |first1=Roslyn |editor1-last=Edmondson |editor1-first=Ray |editor2-last=Jordan |editor2-first=Lothar |editor3-last=Prodan |editor3-first=Anca Claudia |title=The UNESCO Memory of the World Programme: Key Aspects and Recent Developments |date=2020 |publisher=Springer |___location=Cham |isbn=978-3-030-18441-4 |page=44 |chapter=The Memory of the World Registers and Their Potential}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific |title=MOWCAP Regional Register |url=https://www.mowcapunesco.org/core-activities/regional-register/ |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific}}</ref>

Regional registers include:

* Asia Pacific Regional Register<ref>{{Cite web |last=Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific |title=MOWCAP Regional Register |url=https://www.mowcapunesco.org/core-activities/regional-register/ |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific}}</ref>

* Latin America and the Caribbean regional register<ref>{{Cite web |title=Memory of the World - Latin America and the Caribbean - List |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/lac/list?hub=84793&f%5B0%5D=dataset_filters:fac53f70-c695-4269-b656-c1cedaeedc1b&sort_by=unesco_country_label&sort_order=ASC |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240901122956/https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/lac/list?hub=84793&f%5B0%5D=dataset_filters%3Afac53f70-c695-4269-b656-c1cedaeedc1b&sort_by=unesco_country_label&sort_order=ASC |archive-date=2024-09-01 |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=www.unesco.org |language=en}}</ref>

The Asia Pacific Regional Register and the Register for Latin America and the Caribbean<ref>{{Cite web |last=UNESCO |title=Regional Register |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/lac/regional-register |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=UNESCO}}</ref> have already honoured important documentary heritage of their regions, while the African Regional Register is currently being established.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Africa Regional Committee of the Memory of the World Programme (ARCMoW) |title=Africa Regional Committee of the Memory of the World Programme (ARCMoW) |url=https://arcmow.org/ |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=Africa Regional Committee of the Memory of the World Programme (ARCMoW)}}</ref> In the Asia-Pacific region, in 2014–2015, there were 18 member nations of [[MOWCAP]] (6 without national committees), while in 2016, there were 16 national MoW committees.<ref name=":0" />

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==External links==

{{commons category|Memory of the World Register}}

* {{official website|www.unesco.org/en/memory-world}}