Archives Safeguarding: Archives of Morocco, UNESCO Sign Letter of Intent

16 September 2023 Printable Version

Rabat - A letter of intent was signed on Friday in Rabat between the Archives of Morocco Institution and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), with a view to accompanying a cooperation agreement, inked last November between this institution and the National Archives of Korea, in the field of safeguarding and conserving archives.

The letter of intent, signed by the director of the Archives of Morocco, Jamaâ Baida, and the regional director of UNESCO's Maghreb Office, Eric Falt, in the presence of the South Korean ambassador to Morocco, Keeyong Chung, aims to support cooperation between the Archives of Morocco and the National Archives of Korea in the field of safeguarding and conserving documentary heritage.

This partnership project between the National Archives of Korea, the Archives of Morocco and UNESCO is meant to strengthen the Kingdom's capacity to safeguard and conserve its documentary holdings, with the financial and technical support of the National Archives of Korea, as part of the promotion of international cooperation in archive management and the preservation of documentary heritage.

The signing of the letter of intent with UNESCO will give new impetus to efforts to safeguard and conserve the archives in collaboration with the Korean side, stressed Baida in a statement to MAP.

Cooperation between the Archives of Morocco and the National Archives of Korea goes back a long way, particularly as regards training in archive restoration, he added, highlighting the significant progress made by South Korea in this field.

Baida noted that the Korean side was committed to providing financial support, including training and the supply of essential equipment for restoring the archives.

In a similar statement, Falt said that the Korean financial support would help strengthen Morocco's capacity to safeguard its documentary heritage, stressing that the Kingdom had long worked to safeguard its archival heritage for future generations, to help them better understand the past and project themselves into the future.

For his part, the Korean ambassador underlined that Morocco and South Korea share an ancestral history and a rich heritage, particularly in terms of archives, recalling the signing of two memorandums of understanding between his country and the Archives of Morocco last November, in addition to two partnership agreements to promote research with Seoul in this field.