ISLAMABAD: The World Day for Audio-visual Heritage will be marked on Oct 27 across the globe including Pakistan to build global awareness of issues on preserving audio-visual material, such as sound recordings and moving images.
The World Day for Audio-visual Heritage explores issues such as ways to preserve audio-visual material and documents.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) works with organizations, governments and communities promote the World Day for Audio-visual Heritage on October 27 each year. Activities and events included competitions, such as a logo contest, to promote the World Day for Audio-visual Heritage.
Local programs organized as a joint effort between national film archives, audio-visual societies, television or radio stations, and governments.
Panel discussions, conferences, and public talks on the importance of preserving important audio-visual documents will be held.
Countries previously involved in observing the day included (but were not exclusive to) Canada, Denmark, Thailand, and the United States.
Many sound recordings, moving images and other audio-visual material are lost because of neglect, natural decay and technological obsolescence. Organizations such as UNESCO felt that more audio-visual documents would be lost if stronger and concerted international action was not taken.
A proposal to commemorate a World Day for Audio-visual Heritage was approved at a UNESCO general conference in 2005. The first World Day for Audio-visual Heritage was held on October 27, 2007.
The World Day for Audio-visual Heritage aims to raise general awareness of the need for urgent measures to be taken. It also focuses on acknowledging the importance of audio-visual documents as an integral part of national identity.