The International Advisory Committee of the Memory of the World Program recommends setting a place and time convenient to the nominator and concerned parties for a dialogue, with a view to leading to a joint nomination to encompass as far as possible all relevant documents on "Comfort Women" — the term given to those who were forced into prostitution by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
As the announcement of UNESCO, the IAC, composed of 14 eminent experts, recommended inscribing 78 new nominations to the Memory of the World International Register.
Among the 78 new nominations, "Oracle-Bone Inscriptions" and "The Archives of Suzhou Silk from Modern and Contemporary Times", submitted by China, as well as "Official Records of Macao During the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886)" jointly submitted by China and Portugal, were approved.
UNESCO established the Memory of the World Program in 1992 to save significant collections worldwide, as many have suffered a variety of fates, including illegal trading, destruction or inadequate housing. The program aims to preserve documentary heritage and memory for the benefit of present and future generations and to build peace in the minds of human beings.
Up to now, 10 projects submitted by China have been inscribed into the Memory of the World International Register, including the "Archives of Nanjing Massacre", inscribed to the nominations list in 2015.
This article, written by Xu He, was originally published in China Daily.
