Praising the National Archives and its leading role in preserving the UAE’s memory

The Head of the Memory of the World Program Discusses With a Japanese Delegation the Mechanisms of the Human Heritage Conservation

H.E. Dr. Abdullah El Reyes, Director General of the National Archives of the United Arab Emirates, and the Head of the UNESCO Memory of the World Program received a delegation from the Japanese Foreign Ministry in order to discuss the inscription of two documents in the Memory of the World Program. Japan and China are in dispute over this, and the UAE seeks to resolve this conflict.

The Japanese delegation included a number of researchers and specialists in history, documentation and archiving. They discussed with His Excellency Dr. Reyes, the Head of the MOW Program, pertinent matters and the issue of inscribing two documents in the program as Japan and China are in dispute over the validity of their inscription. The guest delegation praised the significant role played by Dr. El Reyes and his confident and competent performance as the MOW program leader who deservedly received the commendation of the UNESCO and its members.

On the other hand, H.E. Dr. Abdullah El Reyes, Director General of the National Archives, informed the Japanese delegation about the NA’s history, its development stages, and its constructive relations with the national archives in most countries of the world. He also briefed them on the NA’s role in preserving the history of the UAE and its efforts and its advanced work mechanisms as a national archive that collects and saves the homeland memory.

The guest delegation stressed the importance of enhancing the relations between the National Archives and the Japanese archive, and the importance of exchanging experiences and taking advantage of the advanced and unique experiences on both the UAE and Japan sides in the field of documentation and archiving.

His Excellency Dr. El Reyes took the Japanese delegation on a tour of the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Hall where they reviewed its contents of old maps, rare books, historical documents and photographs that monitor the stages of establishing the Union and the development of the UAE. In Mohammed bin Zayed Hall of Virtual Reality, the guests watched a three-dimensional high-tech film about the history of the UAE and its present and its future prospects.

The Japanese delegation visited the Presidential Archive Section that contains photographs and videos documenting the life of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the local, regional, Arab and international activities of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The delegation also saw historical photos of the UAE leading personalities that constitute a precious heritage, which must be preserved and handed on to future generations and must be made available to researchers and scholars.

The members of the Japanese delegation expressed their admiration for the leading and national role played by the National Archives and its vocational and technical evolution, and they thanked the administration for hospitality and honor.