Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
October 26, 2025 Culture and education
Every year on October 27, the world remembers and honors what is in danger of disappearing without a trace – our audiovisual heritage. World Day for Audiovisual Heritage The World Heritage Site was established by UNESCO in 2005. Its main goal is to draw attention to the fragility of these materials and the need to preserve them. Preserving audiovisual heritage means preserving our identity, our history, and the opportunity to learn from the past.
The United Nations collections are among the world's largest audiovisual archives. Since the UN's founding in 1945, they have housed thousands of hours of video and audio recordings and hundreds of thousands of photographs capturing key events in international diplomacy. This is more than just a chronicle of meetings—it is living testimony to an era in which global principles of peaceful coexistence, human rights, and international cooperation were shaped.
UN photo, 1948
The UN holds more than 37,000 records containing recordings of its meetings.
A special place in these archives is occupied by the speeches of the first people to conquer space – Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova – as well as Soviet politicians and diplomats who played a crucial role in the creation of the UN. Among them are speeches by Andrei Gromyko, Vyacheslav Molotov, and other Soviet representatives who participated in the 1945 San Francisco Conference and the first meetings of the General Assembly. Their voices, intonations, and arguments – all can be heard and seen thanks to the careful preservation and digitization of the materials.
Today these recordings are available online through the platform UN Audiovisual Library and are used by researchers, journalists, students, and anyone interested in the history of international relations. This is a striking example of how audiovisual heritage becomes not just an archive, but a living tool for education and dialogue between generations.
Read also:
What secrets do the UN audiovisual archives hold?
Fragile evidence of the past
While at the dawn of civilization people immortalized history in stone, capable of surviving millennia, as was the case with ancient Egyptian and Roman tablets, in modern times much more fragile materials are used to preserve memory.
Films, radio broadcasts, television programs, and musical works—everything that contains living emotions, voices, faces, and current events—are often preserved on film and vinyl. Film deteriorates, records scratch, cassettes demagnetize, and digital formats become obsolete. Without special efforts, we risk losing unique evidence of the past: chronicles, interviews, documentaries, and recordings of endangered and already extinct languages and cultures.
Once lost and found again
Humanity has managed to save much, but some is lost forever. After the 1973 military coup in Chile, thousands of hours of television broadcasts, interviews, and documentaries were destroyed. Some of the archives were saved thanks to the efforts of the National Library and international partners. Today, these recordings help younger generations understand what Chilean democracy looked like before the dictatorship.
Unique films of the Soviet Arctic, shot at polar stations between the 1950s and 1970s, were long considered lost. Some were later discovered in private collections and restored in digital format. These images not only have scientific value but also provide visual evidence of life in extreme conditions.
In Indonesia, scientists recorded interviews with speakers of rare languages that are now practically unused in everyday life. Without these audio files, entire cultures could have disappeared without a trace. They are now stored in a digital archive and are available to linguists worldwide.
Photo by UN
Relatively recently, the UN used such equipment to edit news footage.
The digital era – new challenges
On the one hand, digital technologies offer the opportunity to preserve more and for longer. On the other hand, they require constant updating and protection from data loss and cyberthreats. Therefore, preserving audiovisual heritage requires not only the painstaking work of archivists, but also the implementation of cutting-edge digital solutions, improved legislation on access rights and intellectual property, and extensive international cooperation.
The Mosfilm film library contains over 2,500 titles. Despite advanced preservation methods, film inevitably loses quality over time, so since the early 2000s, the studio has been actively engaged in digital restoration. Today, this process includes not only digitization but also the restoration of the author's original vision, image enhancement, and preservation of films in 4K format.
Many countries are celebrating October 27 with specialized events, including screenings of archival films, exhibitions, lectures, and digitization campaigns for old recordings. Museums, libraries, television companies, archives, universities, and individual enthusiasts are participating. UNESCO's "Digitalizing Our Shared History" project, for example, helps resource-poor countries preserve their audiovisual treasures. International organizations such as AMIA and the International Council on Archives are coordinating efforts worldwide.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.