UNESCO Concluded a two day Capacity Building Workshop on Restoration and Preservation of Documentary Heritage

The UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office, in cooperation with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO and the National Library and Archive Organization of Iran organized a two-day capacity building workshop on the “Restoration and Preservation of Audio-Visual Heritage” in Tehran on 19 and 20 December 2018, AVA Diplomatic reports.

The two-day workshop took place in Andishgah Hall of the National Library and brought together 35 archivists and experts from different Archives and documentation centers including those of Golestan Palace, the National Iranian Oil Company, Astan Qods Razavi, Shahid Beheshti University etc.

Dr Alexander Leicht, Officer in Charge of UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office, welcomed the participants at the opening of the workshop. “Audiovisual documents are the common heritage of humankind that can transcend local borders and language barriers. This makes them an essential complement to traditional archives and documents and indispensable for teaching about our past”, said Dr Leicht. He then highlighted some of UNESCO’s initiatives for safeguarding audio-visual heritage. The other speakers at the opening ceremony included Dr Zarafshan, Deputy for Archives of the National Library, Dr Etemadi, Head of Communication and Information Department of Iranian National Commission for UNESCO and Ms Kabiri, Director of the Central Archives of the IRIB.

The objective of the workshop was to familiarize participants with the principles of restoration of audio-visual materials, standards for their physical preservation, content management in audiovisual archives and metadata standards.

The workshop concluded by identifying two recommendations: in-house and practical training on preservation and restoration of audio-visual heritage and organizing workshops on a regular basis.