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.<ref name=strategy>{{cite web|title=UNESCO Memory of the World Programme: The Asia-Pacific Strategy |url=https://en.unesco.org/programme/mow|publisher=UNESCO Memory of the World Programme |access-date=2017-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050228192535/http://www.geocities.com/seapavaa/whatsnew/memory.htm |archive-date=2005-02-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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=strategy"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 |page=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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In 1992, the program began as a way to preserve and promote documentary heritage, manuscripts, maps, rock inscriptions, court documents, diplomatic exchanges and more that are deemed to be of such global significance as to transcend the boundaries of time and culture.<ref name="strategy" /> This recorded memory reflects the diversity of languages, people, and cultures.<ref name="2005_memory" /> UNESCO, the world agency responsible for the protection of the world's [[cultural heritage|cultural]] and [[natural heritage]], realized the need to protect such fragile yet important component of cultural heritage. The Memory of the World Programme was established to facilitate the preservation of, universal access to, and public awareness about humanity's documentary heritage.<ref name="2007_memory">{{cite web |author=Jasmina Sopova |date=2007-06-20 |title=Thirty-eight new inscriptions for Memory of the World Register |url=http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=38423&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111132741/http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D38423%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html |archive-date=2009-11-11 |access-date=2009-09-06 |publisher=UNESCO Press}}</ref>

{{blockquote|People the world over are creating [memories] in forms that are less and less permanent—be it sound recordings, film, videotape, newsprint, photographs, or computer-based documents. It must be said that the output of the present century alone is probably greater than the total output of all previous centuries put together; and ironically and tragically, it is being lost faster than ever before. It is a tragedy indeed, for what is at stake is the recorded memory of mankind.|Dato' Habibah Zon, Director-General of the [[National Archives of Malaysia]]|introduction from<brref name=strategy>''{{cite web|title=UNESCO MEMORYMemory OFof THEthe WORLDWorld PROGRAMMEProgramme: The Asia-Pacific Strategy'', 17|url=http://www.geocities.com/seapavaa/whatsnew/memory.htm April|publisher=UNESCO 1999<refMemory nameof the World Programme |access-date=strategy2017-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050228192535/http://www.geocities.com/seapavaa/whatsnew/memory.htm |archive-date=2005-02-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}

Regular meetings were held by the IAC in its interim capacity beginning in 1993, culminating in the creation of the Memory of the World International Register during its second meeting in 1995,<ref name="strategy" /><ref name="1997_report" /> with the first inscriptions on the register in 1997, after the statutes that created the IAC as a standing committee took effect.<ref name="1999_report">{{cite web |date=July 1999 |title=Fourth meeting of the International Advisory Committee of the Memory of the World Programme, Vienna, 10-12 June 1999: final report |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000116830 |access-date=2025-06-17 |publisher=UNESCO Memory of the World Programme}}</ref>