NATIONAL ARCHIVES MARKED INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES DAY

The National Archives in Solomon Islands has commemorated the International Archives Day in Honiara today.

The event is observed annually on June 9th as the day the International Council on Archives has set aside to observe, advocate and promote the roles and responsibilities of archives institutions and archivists to the general public.

Speaking today the Director of National Archives Julian Chonigolo says archives document the past and inform the future.

“Archives document the past and inform the future. Archives are evidence of just about everything. They document social justice and injustice, crime, build structures, illness, social change, citizen rights and the most fundamental level they document us.”

The National Archives Director also said archives are vital for democratic accountability as they document a decision a government makes.

“Archives are vital for democratic accountability as they document the decision a government makes, how they make decisions and how these decisions are implemented. Archives are the cornerstone of accountable government and allow scrutiny from the public they govern. Archives are about us, our stories and our lives.”

The theme for the 2015 National Archives Day is “Archives: Protecting, Preserving and Sharing our Documentary Heritage.”

Meanwhile, the supervising Permanent Secretary for Culture and Tourism has praised the National Government on today’s International Archives Day saying it has shown great commitment to support the work of the National Archives.

In his keynote address today, Moses Tepai says the support provided by the national government to the National Archives is to help improve their service to people in the country and people overseas.

“The national government past and current have shown great commitment in supporting the work of our national archives as a way forward in improving the service to our people and to our overseas friends.”