A Message from the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) 27th October 2026

Celebrated every year on 27 October, the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is a global initiative of UNESCO and the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA). It raises awareness of the importance and urgency of safeguarding our audiovisual heritage, including sound recordings, films, video, radio and television broadcasts, and digital media. The date commemorates UNESCO’s 1980 Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images, which recognised the cultural and historical value of audiovisual records.

This year’s theme, “Your Window to the World,” reminds us how these records connect people, cultures and generations through the sounds, images, voices and stories of our shared humanity.

IASA celebrates the extraordinary diversity of people, professions, institutions and collections that make up our global community. From music and field recordings to oral histories, films, broadcasts and digital collections, our audiovisual heritage preserves languages, traditions, artistic expressions and experiences that enrich our understanding of the world. Every collection has a story to tell, and every voice deserves to be heard.

Yet this heritage remains vulnerable to neglect, technological obsolescence, inadequate resources and deliberate destruction. War and armed conflict pose a particularly devastating threat, endangering collections, destroying cultural institutions and placing irreplaceable memories at risk. Reflecting the theme of IASA’s 2026 conference, Archives in Times of Peace and War, we are reminded that safeguarding audiovisual heritage is also about protecting cultural identity, historical memory and the voices of communities in times of crisis.

IASA honours the archivists, technicians, community custodians and institutions working tirelessly to preserve these invaluable records. We call for stronger international collaboration, sustained investment in preservation, equitable access and greater recognition of the communities whose histories and cultures these collections document.

Let us work together to keep these windows open to all - across languages, borders, generations and experiences. When we safeguard audiovisual heritage, we preserve not only the sounds and images of our past, but also the diversity of human experience and the memories future generations deserve to inherit.

Happy World Day for Audiovisual Heritage!

International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA)