On 9 June 1948 the International Council on Archives (ICA) was founded at UNESCO in Paris. The ICA has decided that an International Archives Day shall be celebrated on 9 June and the first ever International Archives Day is, therefore, also the 60th anniversary of ICA.

The International Archives Day offers archivists throughout the world a tremendous opportunity to promote the cause of records and archives in their country. It can be used to persuade key decision-makers that effective record-keeping is an essential precondition for good governance, transparency and accountability; to emphasize the importance of preserving archives for the collective memory of nations and societies; and to encourage those members of the public who have never previously done so to consult archives for the first time.

More generally, it can be used as a means of raising the public profile of archives and archivists in the media. In countries where there is currently no national celebration of archives, it provides a powerful impetus to organize one for the first time. And in those countries which already have well-established celebrations at other times of year, International Archives Day offers another chance to reinforce key messages about the significance of archives.

ICA believes that, as programmes for raising public awareness of archives are organized simultaneously in an increasing number of countries, a greater sense of international solidarity will be fostered among the participants.

In this first year of International Archives Day, events are being organized in countries as far flung as Japan, Hungary and Senegal.