The International Council on Archives (ICA) is pleased to announce a new set of Universal Declaration on Archives (UDA) translations, making this key advocacy, led by the Expert Group on Advocacy (ICA/AEG), resource accessible to more linguistic communities around the world.
The latest additions and translations highlighted by the ICA include Khmer, Tamaziɣt (Amazigh), Vietnamese, Turkish, Catalan, and Esperanto.
The full collection brings together translations from across Africa, Asia, Europe and other linguistic communities worldwide. The ICA acknowledges the contributors who have supported this work: the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Khmer translation; Abouche Mohammed for Tamaziɣt (Amazigh); Dr VU Thi Minh Huong for Vietnamese; Zehra Özbay (Orient-Institut Istanbul), with review by Elif Yılmaz Şentürk (Marmara University), for Turkish; Rubèn (Rubeno) Fernández Asensio, for Esperanto.
Making the UDA accessible to more communities
Translation plays an important role in making the principles of the Universal Declaration on Archives accessible to professionals, organisations and communities in different linguistic contexts.
The ICA Expert Group on Advocacy (AEG) is currently working to expand the UDA into additional African languages. Although the UDA is already available in more than 40 languages, African languages remain underrepresented. At present, translations exist in Kinyarwanda and Swahili, and the ICA is committed to improving accessibility and inclusivity across the region.
The ICA welcomes:
- Suggestions of African languages that should be prioritised
- Volunteers willing to support translations
- Recommendations of translators or relevant contacts
This is voluntary work, and all contributors will be acknowledged for their valuable contribution.
To contribute to the translation initiative, please contact uda@ica.org.
Explore the Universal Declaration on Archives
The UDA is available in web versions for download and promotional use.
ICA members can also access the free Understanding and Using the UDA online course, which explores the story behind the Declaration, its principles, and how it can be used for advocacy and evaluation in archives and records management.
The UDA Evaluation Tool allows organisations to assess their recordkeeping practices and how well they align with the 21 principles outlined in the Declaration.
