In response to the increasing threats facing documentary heritage across South and South-East Asia, the Collective for Historical Dialogue and Memory (CHDM), in partnership with Cultural Emergency Response (CER), with support from the Whiting Foundation, and in collaboration with the International Council on Archives (ICA), the Sri Lanka National Archives, the IFLA Preservation and Conservation (PAC) Centre at the National Library of Sri Lanka, the British Library’s Endangered Archives Programme (EAP) with its EAP South Asia Hub at Jadavpur University, and the Digital Repository of Endangered Manuscripts in Southeast Asia (DREAMSEA), is launching the fourth edition of the regional training programme Emergency Response for Documentary Heritage.
Many documentary heritage institutions in the region operate in high-risk contexts without adequate preparedness. Gaps persist in disaster planning, staffing, preventive conservation, emergency response, and digital preservation. These challenges are more acute for community-based and privately managed collections with limited resources and infrastructure. This programme addresses these needs by equipping participants with theoretical and practical skills in disaster risk mitigation, emergency response, and recovery, focused on written documentary heritage. Participants will develop their capacities through group exercises, simulations, and peer exchange.
The course ends with a Closing Conference on 4 December, bringing together regional, national and international institutions, experts, and funders to discuss key challenges and best practices for safeguarding endangered documentary heritage.
You will find more information on the workshop in the outline document included at the bottom of this page.
Who can apply?
- ICA individual members or staff members of ICA institutional members who have the following profile are eligible to apply:
- Documentary heritage professionals from South and South-East Asia, including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Laos
- Individuals working as librarians, records managers and archivists in risk-prone areas
- Individuals in charge of protecting valuable local, private, religious or national/international documentary heritage collections under threat.
Applicants must be ICA members in good standing (Categories A, B, C, or D), either through an active individual membership or through employment with an ICA member institution or Category B association. Applicants must also provide their ICA membership number in the application form.
New members may not receive their membership number until a few days after payment has been received. New members wishing to apply for the Regional Training Programme must indicate the date of payment and mention “Pending Membership #” in the appropriate field on the application form.
If you have any questions regarding your membership status, please log in to your ICA Profile or contact us at members@ica.org.
Please note that the working language of this course is English only and no interpretation will be provided.
What is the grant covering?
Accommodation, meals, travel and visa expenses will be provided by course organisers. ICA will cover the airfare expenses of the selected participants who are ICA members.
How to apply?
You can apply by clicking the button below and completing the application form. All answers to the application form should be given in English.
Deadline for submitting your application
Questions?
If you have questions about this call, please email us at programme@ica.org.
