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Jens BoelChief Archivist, UNESCO - 11 January 2008
The working group was established in 2003 at the International Conference of the Round Table on Archives (CITRA) in Cape Town, South Africa, to ensure follow up and coordination of the projects arising from the Conference resolutions
The national archivists and presidents of national professional associations, members of the International Council on Archives (ICA), meeting in Cape Town on the occasion of the XXXVIIth International Conference of the Round Table on Archives (CITRA),
General Resolutions
1.1 Recalling the right and the responsibility of each country to protect its cultural heritage, and referring to the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity unanimously adopted by UNESCO in 2001, support the project to develop an international convention on cultural diversity as recommended by the 32nd General Conference.
1.2 Recalling the resolution taken by CITRA in Marseilles in 2002, call on their governments to ask their delegates to the World Summit on the Information Society to promote the preservation and long-term accessibility of archives.
1.3 Deeply concerned by the fires and looting which occurred in archives and other cultural institutions, and by the removal of government records, in Iraq in 2003, endorse the resolution adopted by IFLA on 9 September 2003, and recommend that:
governments which have not already done so should ratify the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict adopted at The Hague in 1954 and the Second Protocol of 1999,
the Coalition forces in Iraq should facilitate the protection of archives in Iraq, permit an assessment of damage to archives and the establishment of an action plan for their recovery, and ensure that the necessary funds are available to reconstruct, equip and reconstitute the Iraqi national archives system, in close cooperation with Iraqi professionals,
all countries should take immediate steps to monitor the trade in antiquities, including documents, and to support efforts towards the reconstruction of the Iraqi information infrastructure and the preservation of the valuable documentary heritage which survives,
ICA national members should create a National Committee of the Blue Shield to protect cultural property in event of natural or man-made disasters in their respective countries,
the relevant organisations of the United Nations should include the protection of records from destruction and displacement in the mandate of United Nations peacekeeping missions.
Resolutions on Archives in Africa
2.1 Welcome the adoption by the ministers responsible for archives of nine countries from eastern and southern Africa, present at the CITRA, of the Declaration aiming to ensure, through professional co-operation, the preservation of records and archives in Africa and their and use to support good governance (see annex 1), and
Invite African governments, in the framework of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, to launch a programme for modernisation of public administration, by making their respective national archival institutions responsible for implementing systems for government records management, in order to improve the efficiency of government agencies, to promote the principles of good governance and to enable citizens to exercise their right to information, and by giving government archives services the necessary authority, autonomy and means to achieve this.
2.2 Considering the threats facing preservation of ancient manuscripts in Africa,
welcome the joint initiative of South Africa and Mali for the preservation of Arabic manuscripts in Timbuktu,
invite African and Arabic countries to launch a joint action to identify and protect all such manuscripts,
support proposals submitted to UNESCO to register the full set of manuscripts in Timbuktu in the World Heritage register.
2.3 Considering the importance of orality for the reestablishment of the rights long denied to indigenous peoples and for the reconstitution of their identity, invite African governments to organize, in cooperation with ICA, a pan-African congress on the management and conservation of oral tradition from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Resolution of Archives and Human Rights Violations
3 Recalling the resolutions:
of the Edinburgh CITRA of 1997 on the assistance which should be given to countries concerned by the recommendations of the UNESCO and ICA study of 1995 on the archives of security services in former repressive regimes,
of the International Congress on Archives at Seville in 2000 proposing the development of a programme for preservation of such archives according to the guidelines set out in the 1995 study,
of the Marseilles CITRA of 2002 regarding the transfer of the records of police and hospital services from the periods of repression to the state archives of Latin American countries,
Referring to the Council of Europe Recommendations of 2000 on access to archives and of 2002 on access to government documents,
Taking into account the fundamental importance of archives in all states, particularly those in the process of transition to democracy: as evidence supporting victims’ rights for reparation; as an essential element of collective memory; as a means of determining responsibilities for rights violations; and as a basis for reconciliation and universal justice,
Considering their vital importance for the protection both of collective rights, and also of the rights of individuals, minorities, and indigenous people,
Acutely aware of the threats to both government and private archives which document violations of human rights, particularly in countries where there is ongoing civil conflict involving minorities,
Anxious to prevent any return to oppression and to avoid any future repetition of such violations:
3.1 Recommend that government authorities and international organizations:
3.1.1 Facilitate the effective exercise of the above rights, by taking steps to ensure the preservation and conservation of archives of all kinds which document these crimes, in particular: records of security and police services, of truth and reconciliation commissions, of international tribunals and criminal courts, of intergovernmental and international organizations for protection of human rights, and the records collected and created by non-governmental organisations,
by placing these records, as far as possible, under the control of the new democratic authorities, and under the authority of public archival institutions
by encouraging the establishment or adaptation of legislation to authorise archival institutions to ensure their acquisition and preservation, and inviting deposit agreements between archival institutions and organisations not able to ensure their archives’ preservation
by giving these institutions the financial and human resources necessary to enable them to conserve, manage and make these archives available,
by respecting archivists’ independence and freedom of conscience, as well as their professional ethics, as defined by the Code of Ethics adopted by the International Congress on Archives at Beijing in 1996,
3.1.2 Make the existence of these archival fonds known and facilitate access to them by
adapting or creating adequate legal frameworks for their accessibility,
ensuring that these arrangements respect both privacy and the need to make the truth known,
developing general information and user guides to facilitate the identification and use of these archives, both by placing this information at the disposal of the general public and by publicizing it.
3.2 Invite the ICA and UNESCO to put in place a preservation programme for these archival fonds, which would include:
developing, in collaboration with the institutions and associations concerned, of an international guide to the sources for the history of human rights violations, in order to identify these sources and their locations, and make them known,
updating the 1995 report on archives of the security services of former repressive regimes,
recommending to UNESCO member states to propose the registration of archives of security services of former repressive regimes and of those of human rights organizations systematically in the Memory of the World Register,
disseminating and translating the practical guide to the archives of international non-governmental organizations, developed in accordance with the resolution of the 2001 CITRA at Reykjavik.
Resolutions of Thanks
4 Thank Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Sir Ketumile Masire and Mr Ahmed Kathrada for providing their personal insights, and the speakers and participants whose contribution enabled stimulating professional discussions.
5 Thank the Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie for financing the participation in the conference of several French-speaking directors of African national archives and supporting development of archives in French-speaking Africa.
6 Express their profound gratitude to the Government of South Africa, to the Department of Arts and Culture, to the provincial and local authorities, to the national archivist of South Africa and his team, for the warmth of their welcome, the generosity of their hospitality and the excellent organization of the meeting.
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Annex 1
Eastern and Southern African Regional Branch of the International Council of Archives
DECLARATION ON ARCHIVES IN AFRICA
CAPE TOWN: 20 OCTOBER 2003
We, the ministers responsible for the archival heritage of the states of eastern and southern Africa, assembled here in Cape Town, South Africa -
NOTE:
That the archival heritage of Africa, in all its aspects – oral and written - was ignored, marginalised, transferred and denied during the colonial era;
That in the post-independence era urgent competing priorities and limited resources unfortunately resulted in further neglect of our archival heritage;
That steps are being taken within Africa and the region to promote co-operation in the preservation of Africa’s archival heritage and in the improvement of records management practices, both paper-based and electronic; and
That Africans have lacked access to records created in colonial capitals about African history and that this has resulted in the disempowerment of the African peoples.
DECLARE:
That the archival heritage of Africa, be it in written, oral or electronic form, is a precious resource that must be well managed, carefully preserved and made accessible to all, in this and in forthcoming generations;
That, in order to achieve these objectives, it is necessary for the Governments, regional structures, all-African multi-lateral organisations and donor agencies to give full support to endeavours of national and other archival institutions to better manage official records (in all media), preserve historic archives, record oral memory and traditions so that the people of Africa can be better informed and make use of archival information and thus be better empowered to exercise their full human rights; and
That it is necessary to co-ordinate and develop programmes within the frameworks of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in order to promote the culture, heritage and human dignity of Africa’s peoples, to provide for more open, transparent, accountable and good governance for the better development of the continent.
RECOMMEND:
That the African Union, through NEPAD, authorise the establishment of an archival steering committee to promote co-operation in archival matters – especially in the fields of:
- Building preservation capacity;
- Building electronic records management capacity;
- Training and capacity-building programmes;
- Ensuring that all the archival material taken from or within Africa in whatever form should be repatriated to countries of origin;
- Protecting archives and manuscripts from theft and illegal and/or unethical sale and export;
- Developing projects for the proper archiving of historic multi-lateral organisations, such as the OAU Liberation Committee;
- Promoting and popularising the continent’s archival heritage through joint programmes and special events.
That the ESARBICA Executive Board and the technical specialists of the five pillar NEPAD countries (Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa) should develop a programme of action to be put to the NEPAD and AU structures for approval and for listing for donor funding support.
ISSUED ON BEHALF THE FOLLOWING MINISTERS AND DEPUTY MINISTERS:
BOTSWANA: M.R. Pheto
LESOTHO: Jobo E. Molapo
KENYA: W.G. Machage
MALAWI: H Mabati
NAMIBIA: J. Mutorwa
SOUTH AFRICA: B.S. Ngubane
SWAZILAND: G. Dlamini
TANZANIA: Mary M. Nagu
ZANZIBAR: Haroun A. Suleiman
ZIMBABWE: K. Mohadi
AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN PROVINCIAL MINISTERS FROM:
EASTERN CAPE AND MPUMALANGA PROVINCES
N. Balindlela
S. Manana
CAPE TOWN: 21 OCTOBER 2003
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