After a wonderful five days, today we finally concluded proceedings at the ICA Congress Abu Dhabi 2023. The morning’s events and closing ceremony offered us a final chance to reflect upon what we have each learned and experienced during this last week. We can now begin to think about how we can use what we have discovered in Abu Dhabi to enrich our own work, wherever we come from. Although today’s programme was shorter in length, it offered no shortage of interesting moments and enriching content! Read on for our highlights.
Panel – Sustainable Development in the Cultural Heritage and Information field: the role of non-governmental organisations
Kicking off proceedings was the Panel session on Sustainable Development in the Cultural Heritage and Information Field, with representatives from UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOM, IFLA, The Climate Heritage Network, and ICA. What followed was an enlightening discussion on the current state of the Cultural Heritage and Information field, as well as a reflection on how the activities of international institutions, such as those represented, have impacted the profession in recent years.
“It’s important to make the argument as simply as possible, so people can understand that documentary heritage is in fact not something ‘out there’ that resides in old manuscripts, ancient manuscripts, but that actually it is there with us, and young people can appreciate it. Scholars can use it still in a way that is distillable, understandable, and so on, and so forth.” Fackson Banda, Head of Unit at the Memory of the World Programme, UNESCO.
This panel discussion provided an excellent chance for delegates to reflect upon the role that their own organisations play in the global cultural heritage profession, as well as drawing our attention to the immediate future. The task of sustainable development affects us all, while the duty of organisations to reach out across borders and organise positive action implicates archivists and records-keepers everywhere working within those bodies. This was therefore a fitting panel to begin the fourth and final day of the professional programme.
“We what observe today is that certain branches of the ICA are very active, because in certain regions of course this subject is more important than in others. I will cite CARBICA, the Caribbean Regional Branch, which created an emergency network for Caribbean heritage, what we call CHEN, the Caribbean Heritage Emergency Network, which was created by this Branch, CARBICA, and has as its goal, to connect institutions and people to have a support network in the case of an emergency intervention.” Josée Kirps, ICA President.
(Photo by Gustavo Castaner on Twitter)
Keynote Address – Sheikha Shamma
The final Keynote Address of the Congress was delivered by none other than Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan. Celebrated for a variety of academic, philanthropic, and entrepreneurial achievements, Sheikha Shamma spoke to us today in her capacity as President and Chief Executive Officer of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA).
During her address, Sheikha Shamma forcefully upheld the value of archives as a resource to be drawn upon in our collective efforts to understand and deal with climate change. This reminder encourages us to remember that the past never loses relevance in face of the strange and new. Collective challenges require the mobilisation of innovation, solidarity, and knowledge – attributes that can be found in our shared archival heritage and thus drawn upon to inspire decisive action today.
“To face the challenge of climate change, we must delve deep in the archives.” Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and Chief Executive Officer of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA).
Speech by Dr Abdullah Al Raisi
Dr Abdullah Al Raisi’s speech at the Closing Ceremony celebrated the achievements made during this Congress, including historic numbers for the event and a shared appreciation of the value drawn from it by our contributors, attendees, and organisers. Dr Raisi’s speech also hinted to exciting news on the horizon for the ICA, for which our members will want to keep an eye out!
“This week was a historic week for the International Council on Archives, and it should be. We should keep the momentum. Somebody told me “You raised the bar very high!” and that is how the ICA, and the ICA Congress, should be. Because the archives deserve that.” Dr Abdullah Al Raisi, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the ICA Congress.
New Professionals Closing Remarks
The ICA New Professionals Programme took stock of another successful year, sharing the group’s work with delegates as well as initiating the callout for nominations for the next cohort. This programme has been an essential means by which the ICA has strengthened capacity in the archives and records-keeping sector, contributing to the training of the next generation of professionals to take our sector confidently into the future.
“Together they’ve worked on a project to explore the relationship between volunteers and archival professionals. And a key part of the Programme is their participation during the Congress and the opportunity to present their work and to meet the international community.” Nicola Laurent, New Professionals Programme Coordinator
“I feel extremely privileged to be here in Abu Dhabi at one of the biggest congregations of archivists and records managers from around the world.” Saman Quraishi, ICA Active New Professional, 2022-2023 cohort.
Closing Remarks by Carlos Serrano Vásquez
The Director of the ICA, Carlos Serrano Vásquez, gave some remarks at the Closing Ceremony, thanking the National Library and Archives of the United Arab Emirates, the representatives of the ICA’s sister organizations, our sponsors, Nirvana, the ICA Secretariat, PCOM Members and the volunteers who all helped make this event happen. He also highlighted the diversity and inclusiveness of both the ICA and Congress.
“I would also like to highlight the number of young people present at our Congress but also in our organization. This new influx of knowledge and experiences forces us to rethink and renew our organization and allows us to continue to play the fundamental role that we have in the enrichment of knowledge societies. This intergenerational exchange becomes even more relevant for our mission today given that we are currently immersed in a society of rapid changes and transformations.” Carlos Serrano Vásquez, Executive Director of the ICA.
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It is no exaggeration to say that ICA Congress Abu Dhabi 2023 has been an amazing success. We had the pleasure of hosting over 3300 attendees representing 140 countries from across the world.
None of this would have been possible without the dedicated work and support of our community, staff and partners. We would like to thank the National Library and Archives (NLA) of the United Arab Emirates for being gracious and accommodating hosts, as well as the Abu Dhabi Congress Committee and the organisation team for their steadfast work, helping us turn this event from vision into reality. Furthermore, the contributions of our sponsors – especially Ancestry, Family Search, and Artefactual – were critical in providing the resources needed to organise an event on this scale.
As we end this newsletter, we would like to finish by thanking you, our members and volunteers. ICA events are developed in collaboration with and for you, as a celebration of your expertise, hard work and will to push our profession forward. When our Congresses succeed, they do so because of the enthusiasm brought to it by attendees and contributors! So, it is our great privilege to be able to provide these opportunities to you as platforms for you to share your work and network with peers.
Although it is goodbye for now, keep your eyes peeled for news on our next event: Barcelona 2025!