National Archives Conference: Toward Governance that Protects Memory and Digital Sovereignty
The first National Archives Conference in Morocco opened Wednesday in Rabat, bringing together a host of officials and experts to explore ways of developing forward-looking governance capable of protecting national memory and digital sovereignty in an era of technological transformation.
During the opening session of the conference, held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and organized by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, the Archives of Morocco institution and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, speakers highlighted the strategic nature of archives as a cross-cutting sector that provides a vital service to the State, its institutions and citizens. They called for collective mobilization to establish a dedicated roadmap.
Speaking at the event, which was attended by the Advisor to His Majesty the King, Omar Azziman, along with public officials, experts and academics, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid stressed that archives represent one of the main references of memory and history, underscoring the need to develop this sector so that it can fully contribute to preserving heritage and promoting creative industries.
Morocco’s experience in the field of archives is part of a broader dynamic of collective reflection on reform and sustainable development, Bensaid noted, adding that the major reform projects underway in the Kingdom require strong support in terms of documentation.
For his part, the Permanent Secretary of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Abdeljalil Lahjomri, said that reflecting on archives “means questioning the country’s memory and its future at a time when there is growing awareness of the importance of memory in the trajectory of nations.”
Archives, he added, constitute a living memory, a knowledge system and a tool of sovereignty that helps document decisions and policies, providing historians with authentic material to better understand society and the State.
Meanwhile, the Director of Archives of Morocco, Latifa Moftaqir, highlighted the importance of archives in establishing democratic governance and promoting transparency and institutional culture. She also pointed to the complexity of archival missions in a rapidly changing world and the need for collective thinking to rethink governance in a sector involving multiple stakeholders.
She emphasized the importance of investing in training by combining traditional expertise with technological innovation, including artificial intelligence, in a global context marked by intense competition over information and the spread of misinformation. She expressed hope that these collective efforts would lead to the adoption of a national archives charter.
Through various thematic sessions, the conference aims to create a platform for dialogue on the challenges of archival governance, with a view to developing a national roadmap for 2026–2036 for the management of public archives in Morocco.
The objective is also to establish archives as a lever for good governance and transparency, promote dialogue among decision-makers, researchers and professionals, and develop an integrated, modern and inclusive national policy on archives, while enhancing their value as a shared heritage and a driver of sustainable development.
It also seeks to assess archival practices in Morocco, formulate concrete recommendations to address sector challenges, strengthen cooperation among institutions including public administrations, researchers, local authorities and international partners, and encourage the use of new technologies in the processing and preservation of archival heritage.
The conference is structured around nine thematic sessions covering topics such as “national archive management policy: toward a unified archival vision,” “regional archives as a lever for local democracy and territorial development,” “private archives in Morocco: challenges and prospects for integration into national heritage,” and “vision, governance and the legal framework of archives.”
Other sessions address themes including “digitization, artificial intelligence and archival innovation,” “archives and cultural and creative industries and their role in the knowledge economy,” “archives as a source of knowledge and a tool for academic research,” “training and qualification in archival professions in Morocco,” as well as “international and technical cooperation, archival sovereignty and partnerships.”
Editorial team/le7tv
