UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register lists documentary heritage – texts, audio-visual materials, library and archive holdings – that have been judged to be of global importance. The register brings that heritage to the attention of experts and the wider public, promoting the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of those materials. The first inscriptions were added to the register in 1997. As of 2025, 570 pieces of documentary heritage had been included. Of these, ten were nominated by international organizations.
List by international organization Documentary heritageInternational organizationCustodian(s), Location(s) Yearinscribed Reference Humanity's First Recordings of its Own Voice: The Phonautograms of Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville (c.1853-1860)Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) French Academy of Sciences National Industrial Property Institute Bibliothèque de l’Institut de France Société d’encouragement pour l’industrie nationale 2015UNESCO IBE Historical Archives (1925–1969)International Bureau of EducationInternational Bureau of Education 2025 Archives of the International Prisoners of War Agency, 1914–1923International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, Geneva 2007 Archives of the International Tracing ServiceInternational Tracing Service (ITS)Archives of the International Tracing Service, Bad Arolsen 2013 Archives of the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation, 1925–1946UNESCO ArchiveUNESCO Archive, Paris 2017Drafting of the International Bill of Human Rights – UN Archives and UN Official Documents – 1946 to 1966United Nations Archives and Records Management Section, United Nations Library & Archives GenevaUnited Nations Office at Geneva2025 League of Nations archives 1919–1946United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)United Nations Office at Geneva 2009 UNRWA Photo and Film Archives of Palestinian RefugeesUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Public Information Office, Jerusalem 2009 Records of the Smallpox Eradication Programme of the World Health OrganizationWorld Health Organization (WHO)Records and Archives Unit, WHO Headquarters, Geneva 2017IMO Legacy CollectionWorld Meteorological OrganizationWorld Meteorological Organization, Geneva 2025
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References
External links UNESCO Memory of the World Programme official website