Archives & records
A nation's, institution's or family's history.
When it's gone, it's gone for good.
Some of humanity's memory exists only on a single fragile copy.
Preservation isn't abstract. It's a specific language with its last fluent speakers, a country's founding records held in one archive, a scientific dataset no one migrated in time.
Here's what stands to be lost…
What we preserve – and what disappears without it
Intellectual property & know-how
The designs, research, code and expertise that define you.
Brand & corporate heritage
The founding story, milestones and identity that make a company.
Cultural & artistic collections
Works and collections that carry meaning.
Research & scientific data
Irreplaceable knowledge that must remain untouched.
Personal legacy
The memories, records and story of a life.
This isn't hypothetical – we're already doing it.
Mission-funded
Mission-funded
Christian Clauwers
Sinking Marshall Islands
Preserving the Marshall Islands’ Climate Change Story in the Arctic World Archive
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UNESCO
UNESCO Archives
Today, UNESCO is the custodian of the IIIC archives, inscribed on the Memory of the World International Register in 2017. From 2017 to 2019, thanks to the support of the People of Japan, UNESCO Archives was able to digitize the documents and correspondence of the IIIC and make them freely accessible online.
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