Developed a Comprehensive Strategic Plan and Discussed Ways to Establish a Clear Structure for its Sustainability

The National Archives Participates in the Meetings of the 34th Session of the General Secretariat of Gulf Documents and Studies Centers



The National Archives participated in the meetings of the 34th session of the General Secretariat of the Gulf Documents and Studies Centers, which were held in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The meetings reviewed the comprehensive strategic plan of the General Secretariat and presented ways to execute the 100-day plan to implement the initiatives and projects stated therein in addition to ways to establish a clear structure for its sustainability. The National Archives’ participation came as being one of the most prominent members of the General Secretariat and the National Archives is consisered one of the oldest archives in the Arabian Gulf region. Moreover the National Archives is concerned with preserving the memory of the UAE and the Gulf region.

The participation of the National Archives was manifested by the speech delivered by His Excellency Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Acting Director General of the National Archives, in which he stressed the importance of the 34th session’s meetings under the present exceptional circumstances of Covid-19 pandemic for discussing the great challenges that have to be confronted in order to advance the development of the documentation and research work in the GCC countries. These meetings can support the process of specialized scientific cooperation, develop work mechanisms and find the most appropriate solutions and the best ways to implement the strategy and objectives of the General Secretariat.

His Excellency invited the participants to the Libraries and Archives Conference, the National Archives will host in Abu Dhabi in 2022, which aims to provide the appropriate solutions to develop libraries and archives work, in preparation for hosting the largest archival event of the year, the ICA Congress, which Abu Dhabi will host in 2023.

Mr. Hamad Al Mutairi, Director of the Archives Department, reviewed the most important axes and recommendations of the comprehensive strategic plan and presented the National Archives’ vision for its implementation in addition to the most important features for the next phase and the plan’s accelerators.

The participants in the meetings discussed the comprehensive strategy of the General Secretariat prepared by the National Archives and the 100-day plan for implementing its initiatives and projects.

On a related level, the meetings discussed a number of topics on its agenda, stressed the importance of strengthening the archival and documentary work in the Gulf states; to make it a source and reference for decision-makers. It emphasized the importance of supporting the integration of archival and documentation work, unifying the vision for a coordinated archival work to benefit from joint Gulf experiences, working for knowledge and digital integration and archival efforts that stem from the historical and geographical integration of the GCC countries which will enhance its strength and presence among the global institutions.

The meetings also focused on the importance of preparing a study on the history of the Gulf states and unifying the archival terminology.