UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia-Pacific adds 14 items to regional register
China’s Archives of Suzhou Silk Samples and the Royal Literature of Hue Royal Architecture from Viet Nam are among 14 items of documentary heritage added to the Memory of the World Regional Asia-Pacific Register.
The register recognizes items that are globally significant and represent the unique and irreplaceable heritage of humanity.
The most recent inscriptions were made official at the 7th general meeting of the UNESCO Memory of the World Regional Committee for Asia-Pacific (MOWCAP) held in Hue, Vietnam, from 18 to 20 May 2016.
The inscriptions were the culmination of a two-year nomination process. The decisions were made by MOWCAP, chaired by Mr Li Minghua, Director-General of the State Archives Administration and the Central Archives of China, and comprising representatives from Australia, Cambodia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, China, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu and Vietnam.
The Memory of the World Regional Asia-Pacific Register now includes a total of 46 documents and document collections from countries in the region, with the items safeguarded on materials ranging from stone to palm leaves as well as audio recordings.
As part of the meeting, a workshop was organized to introduce and provide guidance on the implementation of the recently adopted 2015 UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Preservation of, and Access to Documentary Heritage, including in Digital Form.
MOWCAP was set up in 1998 and is the regional forum for UNESCO’s global Memory of the World Programme. MOWCAP aims to protect valuable archive holdings and library collections across Asia-Pacific and facilitates networks of experts in exchanging information and raising resources for preserving and promoting access to documentary heritage.
