Address

Charles Kecskemeti
Secretary General, International Council on Archives

When ICA was founded, under the aegis of UNESCO, almost half a century ago, the profession, smaller in size than now, was mainly interested in the traditional historical disciplines recognized throughout Europe as the territory of archival scholarship, such as diplomatic, paleography, sigillography, and history of institutions.

The impressive achievement of European archivists in arranging the archival heritage of the Middle Ages and the early modern period and in producing thousands of finding aids for making accessible this heritage was based on this traditional historical erudition and expertise in the auxiliary sciences of history.

International contacts and discussions were of course important for all countries which had or wanted to organise operational archival services, but the cross-border exchange of ideas and experiences covered a less extended area than we are used to consider nowadays as the normal field for international archival cooperation.

Finally, until the early 1950's, the number of countries interested and involved in the international archival life was rather modest, not more than 30 to 35, mostly from Europe.

From 1950 onwards, the archival field has gone through a period of spectacular transformation. Methodology and policy, management and technology, training and recruitment have changed, as well as the archival materials. ICA was one of the agents of this steady evolution.

ICA's worldwide expansion has started in the early sixties following the dismantlement of the colonial system at the end of the 50's and the early 60's.

It became soon clear that a worldwide professional organization could not serve adequately its constituency with a single European based and European centered structure. The concept of regional archival cooperation was developed in Southeast Asia, more precisely in Malaysia where an ambitious archival development programme has been initiated with the support of UNDP and UNESCO.

As its 5^th Congress, held in Brussels in 1964, ICA adopted an important constitutional amendment, so as to make possible regional branches in the developing world.

The movement started in Southeast Asia in 1968. SARBRICA, ICA's eldest branch was founded in Kuala Lumpur exactly 25 years ago. Success came fast. Regional branches were established, with the support and assistance of UNESCO:

in East and Southern Africa in 1969

in the Arab States in 1972

in the Carribean in 1975

in Latin America in 1976

in South and West Asia in 1981

in the South Pacific in 1981

in Central Africa in 1982

in West Africa in 1983

With these nine branches, operating worldwide, ICA had considered, until 1992, that its regional network was complete. Then, at the 12^th International Congress held in Montreal (Canada), the East Asian countries decided to follow the pattern initiated in Southeast Asia 25 years ago, and that "Archivists of the major extra-European geographic areas, wishing to strengthen their collaboration" establish "international associations forming regional branches of ICA".

In 1968, ICA (founded in 1950 by 14 countries) had 68 member countries with the following geographical distribution:

Africa 13

America 13

Asia 10

Europe 30

Oceania 2

Currently, ICA has Category A members in 148 countries and territories, the geographical distribution being:

Africa 36

America 31

Asia 28

Europe 42

Oceania 11

This impressive expansion has been achieved through the construction of a network of 9 Regional Branches. The East Asian Countries were encouraged by the ICA General Assembly in Montreal to establish this 10^th regional branch of the organization.

The European region which includes not only geographical Europe, but also the United States, Canada and Israel, is also establishing its regional structure. The number of countries concerned being too high for making a branch viable, the European programme will be planned, monitored and managed by a coordinating Bureau.

With these new developments in East Asia and Europe, ICA's regional network covers now the entire world.

All regional branches pursue similar objectives. These objectives, listed in the Constitution of each branch, are in complete harmony with the Constitution of the mother-organization, the International Council on Archives.

The raison detre, the very purpose of all ICA Regional Branches is to foster archival progress in their member countries, through uniting all capabilities, expertise and energy that are available within the region. As ICA itself, branches cover a broad range of issues:

• the development and modernization of archives and records management infrastructures, systems and services;
• the advancement at archival research and technology;
• the safekeeping of the archival heritage;
• the fostering of basic and continued professional education and training;
• the service of users by promoting access to archives.

In fact, the branches serve worldwide as the privileged tools promoting the progress of archives because they perform simultaneously two basic cooperative functions:

• as regional organizations, they offer a permanent forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences between neighbouring countries;
• as parts of an international organization they integrate the archival community of their region with the worldwide network of professional research, debate and action.

Although all branches pursue similar goals and share similar concerns, each of them operates in specific conditions, has to cope with specific historical and cultural traditions and, therefore, each of them acts and works in its own way, develops and implements a programme of its own.

Regions may certainly benefit a great deal from inter-branch contacts, learn from successes achieved and failures encountered elsewhere, but all of them have to find their own way.

With this Inaugural Conference, hosted by the State Archives Bureau of China, entirely new and exciting prospects are offered to professional work in East Asia, an immense, economically and culturally powerful region. East Asian nations, as different as they may be, share two common features : all of them have a very long, fascinating history, and all of them are sustaining prodigious efforts for constructing their future.

Conditions are ideal for archival cooperation within the region and with other continents.

Tomorrow EASTICA will start operating. As a first task, EASTICA will have to survey the archival situation in all countries and identify national and regional priorities in such matters as legislation, preservation, training or automation and then to develop a workplan based on these priorities, I hope that at your next conference you will be in a position to adopt the plan. I think, that it should encompass at least three components :

• bilateral projects;
• regional projects; and
• contribution to international projects.

This latter component will be of paramount importance in the coming years: the 13^th International Congress on Archives will take place in this very city in September 1996.

On behalf of Dr Jean Pierre Wallot, President of ICA, the Executive Committee of the Organization and its 1,300 members in 150 countries of the world, I extend our heartfelt congratulations and our best wishes to EASTICA and all its members for a fruitful and successful action. I should like also to express our gratitude to the Chinese authorities and the Chinese professional community for convening and hosting of this Conference. Finally, I should like to assure EASTICA and its members that ICA is determined to pursue close and intense cooperation with its 10^th Regional Branch.