Conference Agenda

This examines peace agreements in the Philippines and Colombia as potential Memory of the World in UNESCO. It highlights the historical, social, and political factors behind intrastate conflicts and the role of peace agreements in addressing these issues. Key themes include 1) conflict origins of the two countries, 2) comparative analysis on the peace agreements, 3) role of international cooperation (mediation to facilitate negotiations), 4) significance as Documentary Heritage.

This study explores the potential of inscribing peace agreements in the Philippines and Colombia as documentary heritage under UNESCO’s Memory of the World (MoW) programme. Both nations, shaped by colonial legacies and systemic inequalities, have experienced prolonged internal conflicts rooted in issues of land distribution, marginalization, and demands for self-determination. The paper analyzes key peace agreements, including the four main agreements in the Philippines and the 2016 Colombian Peace Agreement. The agreements address autonomy, governance system with the respect on local communities, social justice, fair distribution of wealth through taxation and development, women participation and reconciliation. Highlighting the importance of international cooperation, the paper also examines the contributions of regional and global actors in the establishment of the peace agreements. These agreements are framed as essential records of global reconciliation efforts, demonstrating the transformative power of inclusive peacebuilding strategies in the modern type of international cooperation. By advocating for their inclusion in the MoW International Register, the study underscores their significance as tools for conflict resolution, collective memory preservation, and global education on peacebuilding.

Against a background of documenting in the uncertainty and displacement of violent conflict and locally rooted modes of recording, we examine concepts of memory and evidence in the documentation produced as a result of the prolonged conflict in Northern Uganda between the LRA and government (1986-2006). Working with generative frictions, we center ongoing negotiation, generative openness, trust and collective ways of knowing in an empirical and conceptual critique of Eurocentric archival praxis.

Records and archives are traditionally rooted in Eurocentric archival theory and colonial logics that privilege rigid understandings of documentation and reify textuality as rules of evidence, that can strictly define contrasts of evidence and memory. Recent scholarship has created space for alternative documentation and records, challenging the hierarchies produced by Eurocentric frameworks and highlighting the ways these either devalue orality, fluidity and adaptive recordkeeping or appropriate such arguments into their own structures. Thus, whilst initial important progress has been made in opening up what we may find in an archive, this has at times broadened the scope of records and at other times stopped short of questioning the system itself, its underlying conceptualizations and the (epistemic) violence it inflicts.

Northern Uganda has experienced a prolonged conflict (1986-2006) between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the government of Uganda. The violence, from abductions and forced marriage to mass internal displacement and massacres, has been recorded in a vast variety of ways, including through orally transmitted records, beadworks and tapestries, oral histories, written records, artefacts and news clippings, and documentation created and collected by international organizations and institutions such as the International Criminal Court.

Against the background of documenting in the uncertainty and displacement of violent conflict and locally rooted modes of recording, we examine concepts of memory and evidence in the documentation produced in this context. We use the concept of generative frictions as an alternative to the hierarchies and disfigurements produced by colonial frameworks, to explore how diverse records in this context overcome the primacy of written documentation in the codification of acceptable evidence and the role of memory work in justice after atrocity. Our approach centers ongoing negotiation, generative openness, trust in people and communities and collective ways of knowing over rigid lines, limited timeframes and predefined outcomes, a mistrust of people and textual ways of knowing in which authority is bestowed on, and by a small number of institutions.

Through our analysis we not only challenge the binaries, boundaries and clear lines of colonial frameworks, but we offer alternative conceptions of records and evidence that contribute to questioning the nature and violence of the (Eurocentric) archival endeavour.

This presentation highlights the need for collective efforts to preserve and ensure access to transitional justice records. Drawing on the Colombian Truth Commission archive and other experiences supported by swisspeace, it emphasizes how political will, collaboration to build local capacities, international protection mechanisms, and long-term funding are key components in ensuring access and the lasting preservation of these critical materials.

The authors aim to underline the crucial role of collective efforts in preserving and guaranteeing access to transitional justice records, which are key to documenting and addressing past human rights violations. Drawing upon the recent experience of the Colombian Truth Commission archive and other archives supported by swisspeace, the presentation emphasizes the need for a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to the preservation and accessibility of these materials.

The first vital element in ensuring the long-term preservation of this type of records is political will. Governments must recognize the importance of safeguarding these materials, particularly in contexts where there may be resistance to confronting past atrocities. Political will is necessary to secure funding, support legislative frameworks, and protect archives from potential destruction or neglect. Secondly, collaboration is key to the success of preservation efforts. International institutions, national governments, local archivists, and civil society groups must work together to strengthen local capacities for managing these types of archives. International protection mechanisms play an equally important role in ensuring the security of records. Global frameworks and conventions can help shield these materials from political interference or threats of destruction. Finally, long-term funding is essential for sustaining preservation efforts. While initial funding may be secured through national or international grants, sustained financial resources are necessary for maintaining archives over time. Long-term funding ensures that archives are continually updated, digitized, and made accessible to the public.

International archivists and institutions can play a vital role in supporting local efforts in these areas. By offering technical expertise, advocating for policies that promote the protection of archives, and facilitating access to resources and funding, international archivists can help bridge the gap between local needs and global solutions. Their involvement ensures that transitional justice records not only survive but thrive as valuable resources for justice, reconciliation, and the safeguarding of human rights.