Archival policies in the protection of human rights

Introduction to the Report:

In 1995, together with UNESCO, ICA published its first study concerning records and archives created by security services of former repressive regimes. The study was developed in a context of democratization spreading at the end of the eighties and aimed to provide not only an analysis of the situation of these archives but also recommendations for their management and permanent preservation. Antonio Gonzalez Quintana was appointed as chair of the ad hoc working group carrying out this vital work.

In 2003, the ICA’s International Conference of the Round Table on Archives focused on the theme Archives and Human Rights and was held in a symbolic place:- Cape Town, South Africa. Many participants found this deeply moving and influential in both a professional and personal sense. The 1995 study was discussed in detail by the international archival community, led by Antonio Gonzalez Quintana, almost ten years after it had been developed.

The conference provided the ideal professional and political environment for ICA to develop a clear strategy in this field, to establish a permanent leadership group, and to launch a series of projects including an international database of archives documenting the violation of human rights, and the revision of the earlier study.

At the invitation of his colleagues, Antonio Gonzalez Quintana accepted, as he did in 1993, to tackle this delicate issue with renewed vigour and new perspectives. He continues as one of the best informed and most effective archival voices advocating and raising awareness of the fundamental importance of the archival record. This new study demonstrates that despite efforts in many parts of the world to identify, preserve, arrange and make known and available archives documenting rights issues, there remains much to achieve. This study also makes vividly clear the role that personal commitment when combined with professional expertise can play in making a difference. This study is a tribute to the dedication of many colleagues working in difficult circumstances.

Our profession cannot be absent from the issue of human rights. Archives in a democratic society serve the people. The preserved record, comprehensive in scope and documenting all of society, equally accessible to all, constitutes the irreplaceable foundation of evidencebased governance. Only through an honest understanding of the societies we have inherited and which we continue to build, their strengths and weaknesses, can we effectively address the challenges of the 21st Century.

Ian Wilson President of the International Council on Archives

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