Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific

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MoW inter-regional conference unites Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean in Andong, Republic of Korea

On 27 October 2023, the MOWCAP Secretariat, hosted by the Korean Studies Institute (KSI), organized the “Inter-regional Memory of the World Conference: Fostering a Culture of Collaboration in Documentary Heritage” in Andong, Republic of Korea.
Opened by KSI President Mr Jongsup Jong who welcomed participants to this inter-regional platform, MOWCAP Chair Mr Kwibae Kim (MOWCAP), Africa Regional Committee for MoW (ARCMoW) Chair Mr Papa Momar Diop and MoW Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (MOWLAC) President Mr Peter Scholing signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which outlines strategic objectives for regional committees to grow the MoW programme together.

They also shared how the MoW programmes operate in each region, including regional register management, organizational structure, recent activities and future plans.
Challenges and opportunities from Asia-Pacific (MOWCAP Secretary-General Ms Linh Anh Moreau), Latin America and the Caribbean (MOWLAC Vice-President John Angus Martin), as well as more locally in Central Asia (MOWCAP Register Sub-Committee Member Prof. Aizharkyn Kozhobekova) and the Republic of Korea (MOWCAP Register Sub-Committee Member Prof. Kyungho Suh) were shared among participants. Commons challenges were discussed, such as lack of funding and capacity, as well as potential areas in which regional committees for the MoW can collaborate.

The activity’s video recording is available on MOWCAP YouTube channel and the conference booklet is available for download here.

Twenty Documentary Heritage Collections from Asia-Pacific Inscribed to the MoW International Register

On 24 May 2023 UNESCO announced 64 new inscriptions on its Memory of the World International Register, 20 of which originate in Asia and the Pacific. This year’s new inscriptions bring UNESCO’s global list to 494 collections, 119 of which are from Asia and the Pacific.

The successful nominations from Asia-Pacific celebrate traditional science and technology, women, peace and international relations, indigeneity and multilingualism, poetry and oral literature, and spiritual and religious diversity.

[Read more…]

MoW Seminar and Workshop Held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO, UNESCO Bangkok and MOWCAP collaborated in organizing the ‘Memory of the World Seminar and Workshop’ in Ulaanbaatar on 24-25 May 2023. The two-day activity consisted of a one day seminar to raise awareness on the Memory of the World programme, its objectives and mechanisms, followed by a one day workshop to discuss good practices and experiences in managing a national committee and national register. This was followed by expert tips on completing the MOWCAP nomination form and feedback on proposed items for national, regional and international registers.

The activity was held at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology and was organized with the financial support of the Mongolian Ministry of Culture and UNESCO Bangkok. The activity was designed to respond to national stakeholder needs in Mongolia and was attended by 83 participants — 33 in-person and 50 online, including stakeholders from provinces and national and international speakers.

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Experts’ Meeting on Training Toolkit Development Held in Bangkok, Thailand

From 28 February to 3 March 2023, 17 experts from memory institutions across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond gathered to discuss training methodologies in Disaster Risk Management (DRM) for documentary heritage at risk.

Organized in Bangkok, Thailand, with the support of Japanese Funds-in-Trust provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan (MEXT) and facilitated by UNESCO Bangkok, some of the meeting’s objectives included collecting and sharing case studies and experiences from diverse countries and contexts, discussing the local community’s role and innovative methods in DRM, and designing the structure and contents of the forthcoming training toolkit.

UNESCO Bangkok Director Mr Shigeru Aoyagi opened the meeting by emphasizing the urgency of enhancing local capacities in preservation methods and DRM in the face of the serious threats affecting Asia and the Pacific.

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Thank you Roslyn Russell, from your friends at MOWCAP.

The MOWCAP Bureau wishes to extend its heartfelt thanks to Roslyn Russell, who has recently stepped down from her role as Chair of the Australian Memory of the World Committee, which she co-founded in 2000 and has been chairing since 2013. She spearheaded the Australian Memory of the World Committee into becoming a thriving and active programme with 78 inscriptions on its national register to date. Regionally, she has been participating in workshops across Asia and the Pacific as an expert to promote and build capacity in documentary heritage since 2007.

Roslyn has also been an active player in the global Memory of the World community as a member of the programme’s International Advisory Committee between 2005 and 2013, first acting as Chair of the Register Sub-Committee, then as Chair of the committee itself. More recently, in 2021 she helped to launch the children’s book Let’s Explore the Memory of the World, a publication she enjoyed sharing with her family, and in 2022 supported nomination teams in developing their dossiers for the MOWCAP Regional Register and promoting Indigenous collections.

Roslyn will continue to be involved in the Australian Memory of the World Committee as its Treasurer, leaving her previous role in the good hands of her successor, Shayne Breynard. We at MOWCAP hope to continue benefiting from Roslyn’s expertise, warmth, and her positive and nurturing personality in its future activities, and welcome Shayne to his new role.

Roslyn Russell (left), Vu Thi Minh Huong (centre) and Helen Jarvis (right) at the 8th MOWCAP General Meeting in Gwangju, Republic of Korea, 31 May-1 June 2018.
Credit: Vu Thi Minh Huong

Training Held on Water-based Damage to Documentary Heritage for Southeast Asian Practitioners

On 7 December 2022, UNESCO Bangkok collaborated with the National Archives of Japan and MOWCAP, with the support of the Japanese Funds-in-Trust, on delivering online training to 26 participants from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Egypt on response and recovery methods to paper documentary heritage affected by water damage, delivered by experts from Japanese memory institutions.

During the online training, MOWCAP Vice-Chairperson Prof. Dr Mitsuru Haga and MOWCAP Register Sub-Committee Chair Dr Helen Jarvis shared information on the Memory of the World programme in Asia and the Pacific, and encouraged participants to submit nominations to the MOWCAP Regional Register 2024 Cycle.

Cambodia National MoW Committee Workshop on National MoW Register Development

On 30 November 2022, the National Memory of the World Committee of Cambodia (MOWCAM), in collaboration with UNESCO Bangkok, organized the workshop “Dissemination of Documentary Heritage Listed in the Memory of the World and Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Memory of the World Programme”.

MOWCAP’s Secretary-General Ms Linh Anh Moreau shared regional examples of documentary heritage and tips for identification, and Register Sub-Committee Chair Dr Helen Jarvis provided information on
the MOWCAP Regional Register nomination processes.

[Read more…]

Nine Inscriptions Added to the MOWCAP Register

Nine Inscriptions were added to the MOWCAP Register at the General Meeting held in Andong, Republic of Korea from 24 -26 November. The General Meeting was hosted by the Korean Studies Institute.
More information on the General Meeting and on the successful nominations will be posted in coming weeks.

Singapore    Asian Children’s Literature   
Republic of Korea          Naebang-gasa  (Songs of the Inner Chambers) 
Republic of Korea          Taean Oil Spill  
Republic of Korea          Samguk-yusa  (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms)
Vietnam    Sino-Nom Documents in Truong Luu Village, Ha Tinh Province (1689-1943)
Vietnam      Ma Nhai (Inscriptions) on the Marble Mountains, Danang City
Indonesia    Dr Soeharso Rehabilitation Centre
China          Shui Character Documents, Guizhou Province
China          Archives of the Initial Dasheng Spinning Factory (1896-1907)


[Read more…]

MOWCAP General Meeting Held and Secretariat Inaugurated in Andong, Republic of Korea

The MOWCAP General Meeting was held on 24-26 November 2022, hosted by the Korean Studies Institute (KSI), in Andong, Republic of Korea. The hybrid meeting gathered 109 participants, including six MOWCAP Bureau members, 20 Member States, three UNESCO representatives and 80 observers from various institutions across the region.

Latest updates in national documentary heritage activities were shared, as well as the MOWCAP Register Sub Committee’s recommendations and Member State comments on the 2022 cycle of nominations to the MOWCAP Regional Register.

[Read more…]

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