News & events > UNESCO Memory of the World | Call for Asia-Pacific nominations
11 Aug 2013

UNESCO Memory of the World | Call for Asia-Pacific nominations

Stone steles of Royal Examinations of the Le and Mac dynasties 1442-1779

Memory of the World Asia Pacific Register

The Memory of the World Regional Committee for Asia/Pacific (MOWCAP) invites nominations for inscription on the regional register of documents or collections relating to Asia and the Pacific. The material can be in any format, textual or audiovisual.

Libraries, archives, museums, associations and private individuals are encouraged to consider whether material in their custody merits public recognition by UNESCO against the criteria of the Memory of the World Programme.

The Memory of the World Asia Pacific Register is relatively young, but it already includes a diverse array of inscriptions, such as:

  • Negara Kertagama or description of the country in 1365AD (Indonesia),
  • Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Archive (Cambodia),
  • Documentary Heritage of the Indian Indentured Laborers (Fiji),
  • Archives and materials of the Macao Diocese 1550s to 1800s (China),
  • Records of the Tokyo War Crimes Trials 1946-1948 (New Zealand),
  • Stone Stele Records of the Royal Examinations 1442-1779 (Vietnam),
  • Presidential Papers of Manuel Luis Quezon (Philippines), and
  • F.E. Williams “first contact” photographic collection (Papua New Guinea/Australia).

An inscription on the Register demonstrates the significance and regional impact of the documentary heritage in question, provides it with more visibly and places it on the same level with the most valuable documents of human history. Such inscription also ensures a greater promotion of the documentary heritage and a better access to it, and may encourage investment in its conservation and security.

Deadline for submission of nominations is 30 November 2013.

Nominations will be first examined by the MOWCAP Register Subcommittee and then presented for decision at the next MOWCAP General Meeting to be held in March 2014. The nomination form and other related documents can be found on the MOWCAP website.

[Source] culture360.org: UNESCO Memory of the World | Asia-Pacific Register call for nominations