Memory of the World Register - 2009
The Memory of the World Register lists documentary heritage which has been recommended by the International Advisory Committee, and endorsed by the Director-General of UNESCO, as corresponding to the selection criteria regarding world significance and outstanding universal value.
Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Dominica, Jamaica, St Kitts and UK - Registry of Slaves of the British Caribbean 1817-1834
Enslaved Africans made up the great majority of transatlantic migrants who were forcibly removed to the Americas from Columbus' first voyages in the fifteenth century until the nineteenth century. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade, originating in Africa and ending in the Caribbean and the Americas, remains a sensitive subject for several reasons, including issues of race, morality, ethics, identity, underdevelopment and reparations.
Belgium - Archives Insolvente Boedelskamer Antwerpen
The archives of the Chamber of Insolvent Estates in Antwerp are both a unique and crucial collection of documentary heritage that contributes to an understanding and analysis of international relations and interactions in the Early Modern Period (1500-1800).
United Kingdom - Magna Carta, issued in 1215
Magna Carta is one of the most celebrated documents in English history. It is often claimed to be the cornerstone of English liberty, law and democracy, and its legacy has been its enduring worldwide influence. The critical importance of the charter is that it imposed for the first time detailed written constraints on royal authority in the fields of taxation, feudal rights and justice, and it reasserted the power of customary practice to limit unjust and arbitrary behaviour by the king. It has become an icon for freedom and democracy throughout the world.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees - UNRWA Photo and Film Archives of Palestinian Refugees
Since the inception of the agency, UNRWA's Public Information Office has produced photographs and films covering all the stages of the history of the Palestine refugees, from the establishment of functional camps in the 1950s, the second flight during the 1967 war, the civil war in Lebanon, the turbulent periods in the second half of the 80s to the consecutive unrest starting in the year of 2000. During nearly six decades UNRWA has produced and collected a comprehensive record of still photographs and film material, covering most aspects of the lives and history of the Palestine refugees.
Vietnam - Woodblocks of Nguyen Dynasty
The 34,555 plates of wood-blocks of the Nguyen Dynasty helped to record official literature and history as well as classic and historical books. Therefore, apart from their historical value, the wood-blocks also have artistic and technical merit as they mark the development of wood-block carving and printing profession in Viet Nam. Their importance and high value led feudal dynasties and state regimes in history of Viet Nam to pay considerable attention to preserving these records.