The International Council on Archives - Section on Archives and Human Rights invites you to its special 20th anniversary session on Tuesday 6 June 2023 at 4:00 p.m. (Central European Time).

 

ICA SAHR 20th anniversary session

Twenty years ago this year, the ICA working group on archives and human rights was established in Cape Town following ICA's international conference, which for the first time focused on that topic. The presentations at the conference and Desmond Tutu's welcoming speech inspired enthusiasm and new perspectives on archival work. Today the working group has become an active section of the ICA, the Section on Archives and Human Rights (SAHR) with 135 members.

 

At the anniversary session on 6 June the former National Archivist of South Africa, Graham Dominy, will give us his personal perspective on this first ICA international conference on archives and human rights, which he hosted in Cape Town in 2003. A panel composed of the President of the ICA, Josée Kirps, and two of the most experienced and knowledgeable archivists in the field of archives and human rights, Trudy Huskamp Peterson and Antonio González Quintana, will take stock of significant developments over the past twenty years and ICA's current positions and vision. ICA's Executive Director, Carlos Serrano Vásquez, will moderate the session.

 

Trudy Huskamp Peterson will explain why and how the concept of archives and human rights has become an integrated part of the United Nations' fight against impunity. She will also talk about truth commissions and other dimensions of transitional justice. Antonio González Quintana will address current and future challenges for work on archives and human rights. Among key issues are accountability of businesses worldwide, archives supporting children’s rights and the fight against forced adoptions, rights of migrants and human rights questions related to climate change. Josée Kirps will explain why work on archives and human rights is important for the overall strategy of the ICA and for the profession of archivists and records managers. She will lay out the ICA vision for such work in the coming years, with emphasis on awareness-raising, training, communication and international partnerships. 

 

Presentation will be delivered in English. Interpretation into other languages is not available.

For registration please see the overall event announcement of ICA.

This conference will be recorded and published in the SAHR's playlist of ICA's YouTube channel.