The National Archives provides a unified preservation plan for common UAE government entities documents

in line with Article 35 of the executive regulations Federal law on the National Archives 

The National Archives developed and introduced a unified plan to identify similar government entities’ documents in line with Article 35 of the Executive Regulations of Federal Law No. 7 of 2008 and its amending laws on the National Archives, which stipulate that National Archives identifies all government entities similar documents in order to regulate and control their preservation process.

This technical and legislative plan allows government entities to monitor the retention schedule or plan for their produced and received documents, based on their value and legal regulations, and decide the necessary action, whether it is permanent preservation at the National Archives or disposal under the National Archives’ supervision in accordance with its approved legal procedures.

On the importance of this plan, His Excellency Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Executive Director of the National Archives, said: “The National Archives diligently performs its role in organizing the UAE government entities’ archives in line with Federal Law No. 7 of 2008, its executive regulations and bylaws in conformity with international standards. Accordingly, it issued a unified plan to identify similar documents in all government entities to control and regulate documents’ preservation and disposal process. He added: in the National Archives we are currently planning for the next fifty years,  and we keenly seek any governmental document of historical, legal or research value, to ensure that the UAE maintains an integrated archival repository by the UAE centennial celebration in 2071.

His Excellency urged all concerned parties and sought their constructive cooperation with the National Archives to implement this plan in the interest of the UAE to preserve the memory of the nation for future generations. He considered this cooperation a great honor and a national duty that all should pursue and seek.

This plan lists all documents resulting from all government entities main and common seven functions, namely: human resources, financial affairs, legal affairs, institutional information, administrative development, public relations and government communications, and support services.

The National Archives relied, in listing and defining these common functions, their affiliated operations, related activities, and resulting documents on the methodologies stipulated in Chapter Six of the Executive Regulations of Federal Law No. 7 of 2008 on the National Archives and its amending laws, especially Article 35 thereof. Also on the legal and regulatory texts issued by the UAE reference authorities, such as: the Ministries of Cabinet Affairs, Finance, Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and digital or E-Government ... and others.

All federal government entities must implement and apply this plan to all their produced paper and electronic documents. The National Archives accordingly undertakes the task of training government entities’ concerned officials and employees on optimal document management.

This plan is considered one of the key government entities’ digital transformation enablers. It lays an important foundation for electronic document management policy through technical programs to regulate and control document preservation and disposal process, and reduce paper documents creation. Thus, the National Archives achieves important accomplishments in documents, paper and digital archives management in the UAE, in line with the UAE government directives on the UAE E-government strategy - 2025.

The National Archives

The National Archives of the United Arab Emirates was established in 1968 as an affiliate of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs upon the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s directives, with the aim of collecting and documenting information on the history and heritage of the UAE and the Gulf region. Forty years after its inception, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, issued Federal Law No. 7 of 2008 changing its name to be the National Center for Documentation and Research, entrusted with organizing UAE government entities’ archives. Later, its name was changed again to be the National Archives in accordance with Federal Law No. 1 of 2014 issued by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.