UNESCO Women in History

Women in History Project

UNESCO Memory of the World (MoW) Programme

War, social upheaval, lack of resources, looting, illegal trading, destruction and inadequate storage are some of the challenges that continue to impact on the preservation of, and access to, documentary heritage. Over time significant collections have vanished and been lost to the world. Others will disappear if steps are not taken to preserve them.

In 1992, UNESCO established the Memory of the World Programme to preserve the world’s documentary heritage, assist universal access, and increase awareness of the significance of documentary heritage. The Memory of the World registers are the most visible means of achieving the objectives of the MoW Programme and a powerful tool for promoting the importance of preservation and access. General Guidelines for the Programme, published in 1995 and updated in 2002, include the criteria and process for inscription on an international register. Regional and national registers are based on the same process and criteria but adapted to address regional and national circumstances. As of January 2020, there are 426 documentary heritage collections inscribed on the international register This includes 109 inscriptions from the Asia - Pacific region.

In the Asia - Pacific region many memory institutions face challenges including adverse climate events, geographic isolation and lack of funding. The Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) was established in 1998 as a regional forum to support Member States to address these challenges to the survival of documentary heritage. The first documentary heritage collections were inscribed on the MOWCAP register in 2008. As of January 2020, there are 56 inscriptions on the Asia-Pacific register. The register has been successful in highlighting the importance of preserving and providing access to documentary heritage to decision-makers, professionals and the public in the Asia-Pacific region.

Gender Equality Baseline Study of MoW in Asia-Pacific

Gender equality is one of UNESCO’s global priorities. It refers to the equal rights, responses and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys. The interests, needs and priorities of both women and men should be taken into consideration, recognizing the diversity of different groups. UNESCO calls for both specific actions and, equally importantly, the integration of a gender perspective into all UNESCO programmes and activities.

In this context, UNESCO launched the ‘Gender Equality Baseline Study of Memory of the World in Asia-Pacific’ on 8 March 2020. This study reviewed all the MoW international and regional inscriptions from the Asia-Pacific region with a gender lens. The Gender Equality Marker (GEM) adapted to the particular context of the MoW inscriptions was applied to each selected inscription and the degree of gender sensitivity of the documentary heritage was assessed. Only four items among the total 155 inscriptions from the Asia-Pacific, were found highlighting gender dimensions or promoting empowerment of women in society and history. It was however noted that more inscriptions would have qualified for a higher Gender Equality Marker if the gender dimension had been adequately described in the nomination forms. One of the recommendations from the study is to implement a strategy for “interrogating selected documents for their GEM qualities and highlighting these in the description of the nomination”.

View full text of ‘Gender Equality Baseline Study of Memory of the World in Asia-Pacific (Brochure)’

Adaptation of UNESCO’s Gender Equality Marker (GEM) to the MoW Inscriptions

	UNESCO’s GEM description applied to an activity		Proposed adaptation of GEM to MoW inscriptions
GEM 0	The activity does not contribute to gender equality	The choice of this GEM level means the activity is not expected to contribute at all or only marginally to gender equality. In this case, the implementation strategy of the activity must include a justification to explain why this would be the case. This option should be limited to (i) activities of strictly technical nature, such as scientific measurements/monitoring of physical phenomena, or (ii) activities which do not have any discernible effect on human activity/livelihood and hence on gender relations.	The documentary heritage does not contribute to gender equality	The documentary heritage inscribed does not contribute at all or only marginally to gender equality. The documentary heritage does not have any discernible effect on gender relations.
GEM 1	The activity is gender-sensitive	Activities that select this GEM level must identify and acknowledge the existing differences and inequalities between women and men. However, the choice of this GEM level means that the activity does not make any attempt/effort to address the inequalities. Under this category, the implementation strategy may include some references to gender equality, and even a generic gender analysis of the context/intervention. Sex-disaggregated data may or may not have been used to inform the gender analysis.	The documentary heritage is gender-sensitive	The documentary heritage inscribed identifies and acknowledges the existing differences and inequalities between women and men. However it does not address the inequalities. The nomination form may include some references to gender equality, and even a generic analysis of the context or intervention. Sex-disaggregated data may or may not have been used to inform the gender analysis.
GEM 2	The activity is gender-responsive	The choice of this GEM level requires the implementation strategy of the activity to include evidence-based gender analysis which identifies and acknowledges existing gender differences and inequalities, including inequalities in participation rates and in deriving benefits. Activities that opt for this GEM level should include in the key deliverables, specific policies and actions which would address the inequalities and result in improvements.	The documentary heritage is gender-responsive	The documentary heritage inscribed includes gender analysis which acknowledges existed gender differences and inequalities, including inequalities in participation and in deriving benefits. The records describe historical events that led to specific policies and actions which addressed the inequalities and resulted in improvements.
GEM 3	The activity is gender-transform-ative	The choice of this GEM level means that the activity intends to address underlying causes of gender inequalities. Accordingly, the implementation strategy in the workplan must include evidence-based gender analysis that identifies and acknowledges not only the existing differences and inequalities, but also the underlying causes and factors of systemic character producing or influencing these differences and inequalities. In the key deliverables, this category of activities should formulate policies and initiatives which not only address the different needs, aspirations, capacities and contributions of women and men and girls and boys in the subject area of the activity, but also challenge existing and discriminatory policies and practices and influence radical change in social, economic and political contexts supporting or influencing such policies and practices.	The documentary heritage is gender-transformat-ive	The documentary heritage had a transformative effect on history and society in regard to gender equality. Accordingly, the nomination form includes gender analysis that acknowledges not only the existing differences and inequalities, but also the underlying causes of those inequalities. The inscription contains records that resulted in policies and initiatives which challenged the existed discriminatory policies and practices and influenced radical change in history and society.

The exhibition mainly utilized secondary sources of information to assess the GEM level of documentary heritage. Secondary sources comprise the nomination forms of MoW inscriptions, descriptions available on UNESCO, the Memory of the World regional Committee for Asia-Pacific (MOWCAP), and ‘Women in History’ survey. Interviews through emails were conducted to the contact persons listed on nomination forms and survey responses when possible.

UNESCO welcomes the contact persons to provide the primary sources and further information, to help UNESCO improve the assessment of gender sensitivity of the documentary heritage included on this website.