About the Forum
MoWGPF series
Launched in 2018 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the Memory of the World Global Policy Forums (MoWGPF) have emerged as the flagship conference for the discussion of policies and strategies for the sustainable preservation and accessibility of documentary heritage at risk.
As such, the 1st MoWGPF on "Disaster Risk Reduction and Management for Sustainable Preservation of Documentary Heritage" had as a reference the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, with its focus being to outline a strategic framework for UNESCO’s action in this area. This tool provided archives, libraries, museums, and other memory institutions in UNESCO’s Member States with strategic and practical guidelines to safeguard documentary heritage at risk.
The 2nd MoWGPF in 2021, in addition to expanding this Strategic Framework, provided regional overviews of the assessment of documentary heritage at risk and showcased good practices, with a focus on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa.
The MoWGPF series is supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) within the framework of the MoW project on "Preservation of Documentary Heritage through Policy Development and Capacity Building".
Together, we have managed to gather:
In its third edition, the MoWGPF aims to enhance international cooperation to better safeguard documentary heritage at risk, covering both natural disasters and man-made hazards, and thereby continuing its efforts in protecting the world's collective memory.
UNESCO Memory of the World Programme
This year marks the 30th anniversary of UNESCO’s Memory of the World (MoW) Programme, launched in 1992 in response to growing awareness of the inadequate state of the preservation and accessibility of documentary heritage in different regions of the world. The three main objectives of the Programme are to facilitate the preservation of documentary heritage, to assist in its universal accessibility and to increase worldwide awareness of its significance.
Over the years, the MoW Programme has carried out activities and projects that not only meet these objectives, but that also promote policy advocacy and cooperation at the international level. It was with these objectives in mind that, in 2015, UNESCO's General Conference adopted the Recommendation concerning the Preservation of, and Access to, Documentary Heritage Including in Digital Form, for Member States to consider integrating into their national legislation or policies.
Now, we are honoured to bring the 30th-anniversary celebration of the MoW Programme to Japan within the framework of the 3rd MoWGPF!
MoW-JFIT Projects
As part of its response to the Memory of the World (MoW) Programme's aims to preserve, provide access to, and raise awareness of documentary heritage, UNESCO started the project entitled "Preservation of Documentary Heritage through Policy Development and Capacity Building", supported by the Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT). Implemented from 2018 to 2022, the project activities included two editions of the Global Policy Forum, regional consultations, and capacity building workshops, with a special focus on Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.
This project aimed to support UNESCO Member States and their national memory institutions in developing appropriate policy guidelines and strategies for the sustainable preservation of documentary heritage. In addition, it sought to develop practical knowledge for possible integration in disaster risk reduction strategies and management.
July 2022 saw the launch of the new MoW– JFIT three-year project cycle, under the theme of "Consolidating the gains in policy development and capacity building for the preservation of documentary heritage”. Over three years, this project aims to:
- Follow up and further promote policy advocacy and awareness-raising on disaster risk reduction for the preservation of documentary heritage through global partnerships.
- Strengthen capacity building of memory institutions in Least developed countries, Small island Developing States, Africa as well as Asia and the Pacific.
