The Congress of the International Council on Archives (ICA), hosted this year in Seoul, South Korea, has chosen Abu Dhabi as the next destination for its quadrennial Congress, to be held in 2020. This decision was received with great enthusiasm and honor by the National Archives of the UAE, the local sponsor for this major international meeting.


The ICA was established in 1948, and serves to provide countries around the world with expert advice and guidelines on managing critical records and preserving memorable events that contribute to national histories and witnessing of the past. The quadrennial Congress of the ICA is an opportunity for archivists around the world to meet and discuss how to adapt record keeping to modern technologies and to enhance the role of ICA in connecting the past with the future. Under the theme of this year’s event, “Archives, Harmony and Friendship”, the National Archives of the UAE showcased its work in the presentation of two major papers, “UAE ‘The Memory of the Nation’ – Achieving its Potential” and “UAE National Archives: Smart Solutions in Action”. The first paper reviewed the efforts of the National Archives to engage UAE citizens in recording family life and daily events and in integrating historical documents into life-long learning, while the second paper highlighted innovations in developing interactive, mobile cross-platform software for facilitating and encouraging public access to its programs.


The decision of the General Assembly to host the ICA Congress 2020 in Abu Dhabi was welcomed warmly by His Excellency Dr. Ali Saleh bin Tamim, Board Member of the National Archives and Chairman of the Executive Committee, and by His Excellency Majid Sultan Al-Muhairi, Executive Director of the National Archives. In the name of the National Archives, they expressed gratitude for being selected as the future host of the Congress, emphasizing that this event will benefit as well from the innovations revealed in World Expo 2020, also to be held in the UAE. Speaking on behalf of His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Alraisi, Director General of the UAE National Archives, they invited all ICA members present at Seoul to participate in Congress 2020. Complementing the expertise of the over 2000 members that will join the ICA Congress 2020 in Abu Dhabi, archivists from across the globe will have an opportunity to capitalize on the myriad of technological advancements and innovations in government, business and culture sectors that will be unveiled at World Expo 2020 in Dubai.


ICA President David Fricker, Director General of the National Archives of Australia, expressed his appreciation for the UAE’s invitation to organize and host the 2020 Congress, noting that thousands of archivists around the world will join in this event, prepared to learn about Arab culture and to experience the legendary hospitality of the UAE.