Background of International Archives Day

• At the international Congress in Vienna in 2004, the 2000 participants adopted a resolution requesting the United Nations to create an International Archives Day. The UNESCO General Conference in Paris 2005 proclaimed the 27th October as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. This was an excellent initiative, but these are not the only archives that are at risk and in need of attention. This is the reason why the ICA decided at its Annual General Meeting in November 2007 to launch the International Archives Day by its own, on the 9th of June. The date was obvious: on the 9th of June 1948, the International Council on Archives was created under the auspices of the UNESCO. Through the International Archives Day, we can:
  • Raise awareness among the public of the importance of records and archives, in order to make it understood that records and archives provide the foundation for their rights and identity
  • Raise the awareness of senior decision makers of the benefits of records management for good governance and development
  • Raise the public, private and public sectors' awareness of the necessity of preserving archives for the long-term, and of providing access to them
  • Promote and bring to the attention of the larger public unique, extraordinary and rare documents preserved in archival institutions
  • Improve the image of records and archives and enhance their visibility globally

List of the International Archives Day for last 5 years

• Note : ICA runs International Archives Week (IAW) since 2019 to raise awareness of the role of archives and share archival communities’ experiences and importance of their works with a theme for a week.