EAC'S inaugural celebration of the International Archives Day 2017
East African Community Secretariat; Arusha, Tanzania; 09 June 2017:
EAC today celebrated the International Archives Day (IAD) which is a global event for archivists and records managers in order to make known the role of archives and exchange experiences with colleagues in regard to the importance of their work within EAC as an institution.
Under the theme “Archives, Citizenship and Interculturalism”, the inaugural IAD 2017 commemoration at EAC headquarters was marked by a showcase of EAC’s records and archives in visual and audio-visual form including old documentation of decisions, minutes, memoranda of understanding, magazines, newsletters, personal files of the preceding EAC Secretaries General, photographs and screening of various documentaries among others.
At the International Congress in Vienna in 2004, the 2000 participants adopted a resolution requesting the United Nations to create an International Archives Day. The UNESCO General Conference at its 33rd session in Paris 2005 proclaimed the 27th October as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. The World Day is an appropriate opportunity to raise public awareness of the importance of audiovisual archives. It brings new incentives to the benefit of the preservation of these archives. This was an excellent initiative, but these are not the only archives that are at risk and in need of attention.
Consequently, the International Council on Archives (ICA) decided at its Annual General Meeting in November 2007 to launch the International Archives Day by its own, on the 9th of June. The date was obvious: on the 9th of June 1948, the International Council on Archives was created under the auspices of the UNESCO. This choice was adopted by ICA Executive Board, and adopted by the archives community as a whole.
The Records and Information Resource Centre units used this platform to explain their mandate to other EAC staff, raise their profile internally by demonstrating how they can assist other departments/units within EAC to manage and preserve their records by regularly submitting copies of their respective documentation as well as demonstrating the use of TRIM.
Records and archives are documents, created, received and maintained as evidence and information by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations, or in the transaction of business. Archival records are those documents that are preserved by their creators, successors or an appropriate archive institution because of their legal value or enduring historical significance.
Archives constitute a major cultural heritage and information resource. The archival heritage is a valuable testimony about the economic, political and social development of humanity. The diversity of archival sources and formats is considerable. To ensure the preservation of these sources, a comprehensive approach that considers all types and formats of archives, is required. It is not possible to focus solely on one type of record, as other categories of archives also deserve attention.
Through the International Archives Day, we can: raise awareness among the public of the importance of EAC records and archives, in order to make it understood that records and archives provide the foundation for their rights and identity; raise the awareness of senior decision makers of the benefits of records management for good governance and development; raise the EAC public, private and public sectors' awareness of the necessity of preserving archives for the long-term, and of providing access to them; promote and bring to the attention of the larger EAC public unique, extraordinary and rare documents preserved in archival institutions and improve the image of EAC records and archives and enhance their visibility within and outside the region.
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno
Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 784 835021
Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2008 Certified