Secretary General of the ICA visited Mexico to oversee the work of the next Annual Conference ALA-ICA 2017
During his stay, David Leitch worked hand in hand with authorities of the Latin American Association of Archives (ALA) and the National Archive of Mexico (AGN) to coordinate the work program and logistics that will be implemented during the Conference.
In an interview, Leitch stated that it is the first time an event of this nature will take place in a Latin American country. And he assured Latin America is an important part of ICA, due to the bolster in the development of its archives. In addition, “he stressed,” in this Conference the ICA will seek areas in which it can contribute its experience, in archival matters, to Mexico and Latin America.
Leitch acknowledged that one of the greatest challenges to good cooperation and exchange of experiences between Latin America and the rest of the world is language, since there is not enough material in Spanish; for which, he said, the ICA is working to implement the necessary actions to overcome them.
Regarding the Annual Conference to be held in Mexico, he commented that the international archival community is enthusiastic and expects it will be an opportunity of greater exchange of experiences so that in the future the participation of Latin America in the ICA increases, since Latin America, he asserted, is a fundamental part of this community.
Finally, Leitch invited the archivist community to attend Mexico in the ALA-ICA 2017 Conference, which will have interculturality and citizenship as its thematic axes. He commented that it’s a promising event of major experience exchange in relation to the international archives network.
Among the themes of the Conference are: ancestral cultures; human rights; Illicit trafficking in documentary heritage; Files, accountability, access to information and protection of personal data; Regional cooperation; among others.
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