The International Archives Week 2026 Content Hub is your central space to explore resources, stories, and initiatives that highlight how archives contribute to justice in all its forms. Ahead and throughout #IAW2026 (8–12 June 2026), the Hub brings together publications, tools and perspectives from across the global archival field.
It is a space to learn, share, and amplify how archives support rights, memory, accountability, inclusion, and future justice.
Spotlight Publication: Flash No. 45 – The Archivist-Activist
This year’s Content Hub features a special spotlight on the latest issue of Flash, titled: The Archivist-Activist. This issue explores the intersections of archival work, advocacy, and social justice, inviting reflection on the evolving responsibilities of archivists in shaping memory, truth, and democracy.
Featured highlights include:
- Nelson Mandela in the Archives: Records of a Lifelong Struggle – safeguarding records of a global struggle for freedom and dignity
- Reflections of an Archivist-Activist on the Film Oppenheimer and on Archival Solidarity between Girona and the Marshall Islands
- From Aspiration to Action: The Legacy and Ongoing Journey of the Tandanya-Adelaide Declaration – progress in Indigenous rights, knowledge sovereignty, and archival practice
- A Litany for Blessed Diversity – LGBTQ+ archival initiatives preserving marginalised voices worldwide
This edition of Flash is both a celebration and a challenge: recognising the work of archivists globally while calling for continued action to preserve the past and protect the future.
Archives for Justice in Action: ICA’s Thematic Resource Hub
The International Council on Archives reaffirms its commitment to advancing archives, justice, rights, memory, and inclusion by bringing together these resources in a dedicated hub. Each resource resonates with one of this year’s subthemes and reflects the ongoing contributions from ICA Professional Sections, Expert Groups, Working Groups, and events throughout the year.
Together, they demonstrate that #ArchivesForJustice is not a one-time theme, but a sustained, year-round commitment to supporting accountability, human dignity, and more inclusive archival practice worldwide.
1. Archives for Accountability: Rule of Law, Truth & Transitional Justice
Knowledge Base
ICA/SAHR
ICA/SAHR - Rights and Records Knowledge Base
Resource
ICA/SAHR
ICA/SAHR - Basic Principles on the role of Archivists and Records Managers in support of Human Rights
Book
ICA/SAHR
Archives and Human Rights by Jens Boel, Perrine Canavaggio, Antonio Gon
Keynote
ICA Barcelona 2025
[KEYNOTE] ICA Barcelona 2025 - Hope as a Discipline: Archives and Human Rights by Trudy Huskamp Peterson
2. Archives for Memory: Recognition, Human Dignity & Lived Experience
Webinars
ICA/SAHR
ICA/SAHR - SAHR Tuesday Talks: Exploring Archives and Human Rights
Resource
ICA/SAHR
ICA/SAHR - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: An Archival Commentary
Resource
ICA/SAHR
ICA/SAHR - Guidance on Access to Childhood Records
3. Archives for Inclusion: Access, Participation & Community Empowerment
Summit
ICA/EGIM
ICA/EGIM - ICA/NAA Indigenous Matters Summit
Resource
ICA/SUV
ICA/SUV - Diversity LabDay Manual
Resource
ICA/SAGDAA-WG
ICA/SAGDAA-WG - Declaration on LGBTQI+ and Sex-Affective and Gender Diversity (SAGD) Archives and Archivists
Webinar
Australian Society of Archivists
[PANEL] Supporting and Activating the Adelaide Tandanya Declaration on Indigenous Archives
4. Archives, Colonial Legacies & Non-Sovereign Contexts: Displaced & Shared Heritage
Resource
ICA/EGSAH
ICA/EGSAH - Displaced Archives and Shared Archival Heritage: A Bibliography
Keynote
ICA Barcelona 2025
[KEYNOTE] ICA Barcelona 2025: Decoloniality, Reparations, Digitisation and AI: the new paradigms and new technologies shaping Caribbean Archives in the twenty-first century by Alan Coble
5. Archives for Future Justice: Anticipating Rights, Responsibility & Possibility
Resource
ICA/EGMDPR
ICA/EGMDPR - AI and Archival Practice On-Line Tutorials
Statement
ICA
The ICA Signs the Statement on Digital Rights for Protecting Memory Institutions Online
Keynote
ICA Barcelona 2025
[KEYNOTE] ICA Barcelona 2025 - AI-Ready Archives, Understanding the past with the toold of the future by Mercè Crosas
ICA Code of Ethics
Ethical practice is central to the role of archives in supporting justice, rights, and accountability. The ICA Code of Ethics, adopted on 6 September 1996 in Beijing, sets out the principles guiding archival work, including integrity, accountability, access, and respect for human rights.
Why it matters for #IAW2026
The principles outlined in the Code directly support the 2026 theme:
- Ensuring transparent and accountable recordkeeping
- Supporting equitable access to information
- Recognising the importance of inclusive and respectful description
- Strengthening the role of archives in justice and democratic societies
Be Part of the Movement Shaping Archival Futures
If you are inspired by the resources and initiatives featured in this Content Hub and would like to contribute to the global work of advancing archives for justice, memory, and rights, consider becoming part of the ICA community.
Becoming a member of the International Council on Archives means joining a global community of over 2,350 archival and records management professionals across more than 140 countries. ICA membership connects you to shared expertise, professional resources, funding opportunities, international events, and a vibrant network working collectively to safeguard documentary heritage and advance archival practice worldwide.
