The UNESCO-Japan Funds-in-Trust is making significant strides in protecting documentary heritage at risk through the Memory of the World Global Initiative. Between 2024 and 2025, more than ten projects were selected from over 190 submissions, advancing preservation, digitization, and capacity-building efforts for vulnerable collections in regions affected by conflict, climate pressures, and other threats to cultural memory.
Launched in December 2023, the global call for proposals under the initiative aims to safeguard documentary heritage threatened by environmental challenges, wars, and conflicts. Made possible through support from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) via the Japanese Funds-in-Trust, the initiative received USD 840,000 in funding starting July 2023, enabling concrete action on the ground.
Submissions came from a diverse range of institutions, including national archives, museums, university libraries, and NGOs, with slightly over a dozen proposals selected. As of November 2025, around 60% of the approved projects have completed contractual arrangements with UNESCO’s Memory of the World Secretariat. Geographically, Africa accounts for 38% of projects, while Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean each contribute 31%, with many initiatives focusing on Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.
In the Asia-Pacific region, projects include the digitization of Newari manuscript pages damaged in the 2015 Nepal earthquake and fungal-affected woodblocks from Vietnam’s Nguyen Dynasty. These efforts not only support preservation but also facilitate knowledge sharing and skills transfer across the region. In Africa, the National Archives of Malawi is protecting church manuscripts dating from the 1880s to 1964, which had suffered termite damage. A disaster management plan developed with ICCROM specialists, along with a dedicated repository, now ensures their long-term preservation.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the Iberarchivos Programme held a three-day capacity-building workshop in June 2025 for conservation professionals from member countries. Fourteen participants, including heads of conservation, received expert guidance from Brazil, Chile, and Spain, establishing a professional network to strengthen regional collaboration in safeguarding documentary heritage.
UNESCO continues to work with partners worldwide to ensure the timely implementation of these projects, preserving invaluable documentary heritage in areas vulnerable to climate impacts and human-induced hazards for future generations.
