The register consists of documentary collections including books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, sound or video recordings, which bear witness to the shared heritage of humanity.
Documentary heritage is an essential yet fragile element of the memory of the world. This is why UNESCO invests in safeguarding-such as the libraries of Chinguetti in Mauritania or the archives of Amadou Hampâté Bâ in Côte d'Ivoire- shares best practices, and maintains this register that records the broadest threads of human history.
Audrey AzoulayUNESCO Director-General
Collections are added to the register by decision of UNESCO's Executive Board, following the evaluation of nominations by an independent international advisory committee.
Among the newly inscribed collections, fourteen pertain to scientific documentary heritage. Itḥāf Al-Mahbūb (submitted by Egypt) documents the Arab world's contributions to astronomy, planetary movement, celestial bodies, and astrological analysis during the first millennium of our era. The archives of Charles Darwin (United Kingdom), Friedrich Nietzsche (Germany), Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (Germany)-which contain the very first recorded X-ray photographs-and Carlos Chagas (Brazil), a pioneer in disease research, have also been included.
Other additions include collections relate to the memory of slavery, submitted by Angola, Aruba, Cabo Verde, Curaçao, and Mozambique, as well as archives concerning prominent historical women-still largely underrepresented on the register-such as girls' education pioneer Raden Ajeng Kartini (Indonesia and the Netherlands), author Katherine Mansfield (New Zealand), and travel writers Annemarie Schwarzenbach and Ella Maillart (Switzerland).
Several collections document key moments in international cooperation, including the Geneva Conventions (1864-1949) and their protocols (1977-2005) (Switzerland), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations), and the 1991 Windhoek Declaration (Namibia), a global reference for press freedom.
About the Memory of the World Programme
Established in 1992, the Memory of the World Programme aims to promote the preservation of - and universal access to - the documentary heritage of humanity. Often extremely fragile, this heritage is exposed to risks of deterioration and disasters.
In addition to the International Register, UNESCO has supported the creation of four regional registers and National "Memory of the World" Committees in more than 100 countries.
Furthermore, the Organization assists countries in developing safeguarding policies, provides training and funding to memory institutions for the digitization of their collections, and works with educational bodies to integrate these essential elements of our past into school curricula, ensuring their transmission to future generations.
About UNESCO
With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information. Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2300 people. UNESCO oversees more than 2000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks; networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; and over 13 000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research institutions. Its Director-General is Audrey Azoulay.
