In Nepal, many actors are producing irreplaceable records of contemporary Nepal. However, there are no mechanisms to preserve these often unique documents in an organized manner.

“There is an urgent need to recognize the importance of safeguarding Nepal’s heritage of sounds and images for future generations and start planning concrete actions towards their preservation. Making the audiovisual heritage available would give the Nepali people the possibility to learn about their own history, but it can also contribute to building the sense of being one nation”, emphasizes Axel Plathe, Head of the UNESCO Office in Kathmandu.

Audiovisual heritage - film, video, radio and recorded sound material - is being lost every day due to neglect, natural decay and technological obsolescence. In order to prevent their loss, urgent preservation measures must be taken, including digitization of photographs and films. World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2005, highlights the importance of preserving the audiovisual heritage.

“The world’s audiovisual heritage is endangered. Too much of it has already been lost through neglect of its value, chemical decay or technological obsolescence. Its disappearance would represent an irremediable impoverishment of the memory of the world,” says UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova in her message on the occasion of the Day, which was celebrated this year under the theme "Save and Savour your Audiovisual Heritage - Now!”.