UNESCO’s historical records — spanning nearly 80 years of global cultural, diplomatic, and educational milestones — is set to be digitised for the first time, funded by the Sharjah Book Authority.
The five-year project, backed by a $6 million grant from Sharjah, will convert 2.5 million pages of documents, 165,000 rare photographs and thousands of audio and video recordings into accessible digital formats. The effort aims to preserve global heritage, protect fragile materials and expand open access.
Currently, only 5 per cent of UNESCO’s archive has been digitised. The remaining 95 per cent remains vulnerable to degradation due to limited resources and technical challenges - a gap this initiative is designed to close.
The project was formally launched on Wednesday morning at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, where His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, witnessed the signing of the agreement.
During his visit, Sheikh Dr. Sultan toured sections of the archive and examined several aging and deteriorating documents, highlighting the urgency of the preservation effort.
These materials document key moments in international cooperation, including treaties, diplomatic correspondence, global summits and heritage protection efforts across decades. By digitising these holdings, the initiative will not only safeguard irreplaceable records but also will make them available to researchers, students and cultural institutions worldwide.
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