UNESCO launched the Memory of the World (MoW) Programme in 1992 to guard against the collective amnesia, calling upon the preservation of the valuable archive holdings and library collections all over the world and ensuring their wide dissemination. The Programme’s vision 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.
The Programme’s objectives are thus to:
- Facilitate preservation of the world’s documentary heritage
- Catalyse universal access to documentary heritage
- Enhance public awareness worldwide of the significance of documentary heritage
A Vanguard of the World’s Documentary Heritage
Documentary heritage is a legacy of humankind, through which we can look back into the past, enrich our present lives, and look into the future with the boldness forged by enduring memories.
That is why we all must be vigilant to safeguard our shared heritage, celebrate it as a marker of human civilization, and pass it on to the next generation. Documentary heritage is thus an important ingredient of Sustainable Development, linking all the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the cultural fabrics that hold societies together.