UNESCO established the Memory of the World Programme in 1992.The vision of the Memory of the World Programme is that the world's documentary heritage belongs to all, should be fully preserved and protected for all and, with due recognition of cultural mores and practicalities, should be permanently accessible to all without hindrance.

Audiovisual heritage comprise of film, television and sound recordings. The adoption by the UNESCO General Conference in October 1980 of the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images marked a historic moment when film, television and sound recordings became officially recognized and defined as part of the national cultural heritage in the same way textual information had been regarded for centuries.