The extreme rapid development of information and communication technologies in recent years has transformed the industrial world into an “information community”. Being both deep and nonlinear, this trend has larger implications for humanity than any previous industrial revolution, with consequent cultural, economical and social disturbances. In this context, archives cannot be dismissed as unimportant repositories, merely including audio-visual resources or historical records, but they are at the center of information services and the provision of cultural content in order to defend archives’ rights, propagate greater education and stimulate a lively and dynamic culture. The records repository is therefore a crucial legacy and information resource of every country, in other words, a national asset holding unique and irreplaceable records.
Obviously, this legacy is vitally important for the maintenance of cultural identities, linking the past, present and future and creating visions for the future. This puts a profound responsibility on the shoulders of friends, keepers and owners of this national memory. The present article considers the role of UNESCO in the maintenance of the documentary legacy and examines the programs it has accomplished so far.
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