Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, recently witnessed the signing of a significant agreement to digitise UNESCO’s global archive. This initiative is backed by a $6 million grant from the Sharjah Book Authority.

The signing occurred on Wednesday morning at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, with Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, and Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, also in attendance. The agreement was formalised by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority, and Jennifer Linkins, Assistant Director-General for Administration and Management at UNESCO.

This project, driven by directives from the Ruler of Sharjah, aims to preserve global heritage and protect vital documents while ensuring their digital accessibility. Over a span of five years, it will involve the digitisation of books, manuscripts, audio recordings, documentaries, and various archival materials.

During his visit, Al Qasimi toured the UNESCO Library and Archive, observing significant collections that include global documents, books, and manuscripts. He learned about the library’s essential role in supporting UNESCO’s objectives and how it utilises its cultural resources to enhance the organisation’s mission.

Al Qasimi also examined several aging historical documents that have suffered from deteriorating conditions. This underscored the importance of the digitisation agreement in safeguarding UNESCO’s cultural, intellectual, and historical holdings.

The UNESCO archive is one of the largest institutional archives worldwide, containing nearly 80 years of historical records. It features over 2.5 million pages of documents, 165,000 rare photographs, and thousands of hours of audio and video recordings. These materials capture crucial moments in global cultural and educational history, including significant meetings, treaties, international correspondence, and heritage preservation projects.

Currently, only 5 percent of the archive has been digitised, highlighting the immense value of the collection, which faces challenges due to limited resources and logistical issues. This situation reinforces the urgent need for support to accelerate comprehensive digital transformation and protect the archive as a vital global resource.

With approximately 95 percent of the archive remaining undigitised, Sharjah’s initiative is a crucial step toward making this global legacy accessible to researchers, academic institutions, and cultural communities worldwide.

Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi remarked that the grant illustrates Sharjah’s dedication to preserving human heritage and protecting the world’s memory. She emphasised that knowledge is a key component of sustainable human development and that UNESCO’s global archive is essential for the preservation of heritage, intellect, education, and culture.

Sheikha Bodour also noted that Sharjah believes access to knowledge should be equitable and that safeguarding human memory is essential for fostering creativity and progress. Through this initiative, they aim to create new avenues for international collaboration, ensuring that future generations can learn from history and draw inspiration from its lessons.

This agreement highlights Sharjah’s leadership, under Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, in promoting knowledge and humanitarian initiatives. It further solidifies the emirate’s role as a global hub for cultural preservation, heritage protection, and the advancement of Arab representation in international intellectual and scientific organisations.