Strengthening protection of World Heritage Archives with JFIT support

World Heritage site managers and archive specialists throughout South-East Asia are benefitting from a series of capstone activities under the “Safeguarding World Heritage Site Archives” JFIT project, developed in collaboration between CLT and CI sectors.

Launched in 2023, the project has contributed to conserving important archival collections related to World Heritage by applying global standards on documentary heritage, notably from the Memory of the World programme. Encompassing diverse material such as photographs, maps, restoration plans and digital media, these collections play a crucial role in understanding, protecting and monitoring World Heritage properties.  Made possible through the generous support of the Government of Japan through UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust, the initiative responds to urgent challenges facing archives today.

In Cambodia, the project has focused on the newest World Heritage property of Koh Ker: Archaeological Site of Ancient Lingapura or Chok Gargyar. Under the auspices of the  National Authority for Preah Vihear, a Standard Operating Procedure is being finalized in order to provide customized guidance for managing the archives of the Koh Ker site.

In Indonesia, four World Heritage sites will participate in a workshop on “Developing Policies for Disaster Risk Management of Indonesian World Heritage Sites’ Archival Collections” organized collaboratively with the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia on 3-4 June 2025. The workshop targets policy-making levels at the Ministry of Culture and the World Heritage sites of Prambanan Temple Compounds, Borobudur Temple Compounds, Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto, and Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta.

In Thailand, UNESCO and the Thai Fine Arts Department joined hands to organize a practical training workshop on "Archives and Record Management for World Heritage Sites" on 22-23 May 2025 at the Historic City of Ayutthaya in Thailand. Led by experts from the National Archives of Thailand, this training is designed to equip cultural World Heritage site managers from Thailand and Lao PDR with knowledge and skills in managing their historic documents.  The workshop is planned to showcase archives activities undertaken at Ayutthaya throughout the project, including an upgraded records management facility holding both paper-based and digital records.

Finally, the project will also see the upcoming launch of UNESCO’s new manual on World Heritage conservation archives management, which will be available in English along with Baha Indonesia, Chinese, Khmer, Russian and Thai through the coordination of UNESCO Jakarta, UNESCO Beijing, UNESCO Phnom Penh, UNESCO Almaty and UNESCO Bangkok, respectively.

For further information, please contact:

Culture Unit, UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok: culture.bgk@unesco.org