National Committees
©UNESCO
It is encouraged to create a national committee of the Memory of the World in every country where it is feasible. There is no rigid model of the national committee: a highly formalized and structured approach will be the right one, and in others the path might be more informal.
The role of the committees and range of their activities will also be different according to resources or circumstances. When they have the reliable capacity, national committees are encouraged to set up their national Memory of the World register as well.
National committees of the Memory of the World are autonomous entities with their own terms of reference and the rules and procedures of membership and succession. If they would like to use the name and logo of the Memory of the World, they must be accredited by their UNESCO National Commission and be supposed to meet the parameters.
By encouraging not only from a global perspective but also from regional, national and local levels, the Memory of the World Programme achieves its objectives. Regional and national committees of the Memory of the World are a crucial part of the Programme. It is recommended for every committee to employ the five key strategies:
1) Identification of documentary heritage
2) Raising awareness
3) Preservation
4) Access
5) Structures, Status and Relationships.
