The Consellera of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Secretary of State for Culture inaugurate the International Archives Congress – ICA Barcelona 2025 alongside representatives from the Provincial Council and the City Council of the Catalan capital
- The Congress brings together more than 2,000 professionals from a hundred countries to address the major challenges facing contemporary archives
- Academic sessions, laboratories, lightning talks, and collaborative spaces explore the role of archives in managing historical memory, conflicts and displacements, human rights, digitization and accessibility, and the future of archival science
- Three keynote lectures will explore artificial intelligence, archival decolonization, and archives as tools for justice.
The Consellera of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Sònia Hernández, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Jordi Martí, inaugurated this Tuesday the International Archives Congress – ICA Barcelona 2025, the most relevant global meeting in the field of archival science and document management, at the Auditorium of the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB).
“For the first time, this world congress is organized thanks to the coordination of the different administrations of our country and the International Council on Archives, an agreement that reflects the solidity, innovation, and international prestige of archival science and archivists in Catalonia,” stated Hernández during the opening ceremony of this event, which until October 30 will bring together more than 2,000 professionals from over a hundred countries. “It is a pride to organize this event at a key moment for the profession, for the international projection of our archives, and for the future of document management in a world that is transforming at great speed,” she added.
The Secretary of State for Culture stated that “the way we preserve memory not only defines our collective identity but also determines the future of our society. It speaks of who we are, who we want to be, and with whom we want to be. That is why it is key that this Congress focuses on conflict zones or those affected by climate disasters, on minoritized communities, and on minoritized ones.” The Congress, under the motto “Knowing Pasts. Creating Futures,” thus reflects on how archives can address the challenges of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and human rights.
The inauguration also featured the presence of the Deputy for Culture of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Pau Gonzàlez Val. “From the Barcelona Provincial Council, we consider archives and heritage collections as key agents in defending the right to access and cultural participation; the right to dissemination, knowledge, conservation and, above all, the right to memory and representation,” stated Gonzàlez Val, who considered that “municipal archives play a fundamental role as guarantors of public documentary heritage and as spaces that guarantee the right of access to information, knowledge, and collective memory.”
“This congress is an exceptional platform to share knowledge, innovation, and experiences about a fundamental tool for our societies, archives, which are the living memory of our territory,” stated the third deputy mayor of the Barcelona City Council, Albert Batlle, who highlighted the evolution of the Barcelona Archive from its creation in 1249 to the present day. “Adaptation to new technologies must serve to safeguard memory,” he added.
The President of the International Council on Archives (ICA), Josée Kirps, defined the Congress as an event to “learn, connect, build friendships, and collaborate across borders.” “This congress showcases the creativity and diversity of our global community, as well as the shared belief that archives are at the heart of democratic societies,” she stated before highlighting the Catalan “philosophy of life” and “know-how.”
Five axes for thinking about 21st-century archival science
The program revolves around five thematic axes that address contemporary major challenges.
- Managing Memories / Preserving Identities will analyze how archives contribute to collective memory and the representation of diverse communities.
- Conflict, Disaster, and Displacement will address documentary preservation in contexts of crisis and emergency.
- Records of Rights will advocate for the role of archives in defending democracy, transparency, and justice.
- Digital and Accessible will explore the impact of artificial intelligence, open data, and digital preservation.
- Archival Futures will pose the challenges of training, sustainability, and international cooperation that will shape the evolution of the profession.
The congress includes more than 80 parallel sessions and 372 communications from 103 countries, selected from over 1,300 proposals, reflecting unprecedented global participation.
Three keynote lectures, three global perspectives
Each day will be headed by a keynote lecture delivered by international references.
The Catalan scientist Mercè Crosas, from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, will inaugurate the cycle with “Archives Prepared for AI: Understanding the Past with the Tools of the Future,” focused on the ethical application of artificial intelligence in archives.
The historian Alan Cobley, emeritus professor at the University of the West Indies (Barbados), will offer the lecture “Decoloniality, Reparations, Digitization, and AI: The New Paradigms Shaping Caribbean Archives in the 21st Century,” a reflection on archival decolonization and memories from the global south.
Closing the program will be the renowned American archivist Trudy Huskamp Peterson with “Hope as Discipline: Archives and Human Rights,” a plea on the role of archives in processes of justice and reparation.
On Thursday, October 30, the main roundtable “Archival Futures: Archives and Archivists for the Next Quarter Century” will bring together leaders of the profession to debate the perspectives of archival science in the next 25 years.
Barcelona, world capital of archives
In addition to the academic program, the International Archives Congress – ICA Barcelona 2025 will offer a wide range of technical visits to emblematic institutions such as the Archive of the Crown of Aragon, the National Archive of Catalonia, the Historical Archive of the City of Barcelona, or the Archive of the Sagrada Família, examples of balance between tradition, innovation, and citizen access.
The event will be complemented with cultural and social activities, including visits to Park Güell, Espai Moja, the Sagrada Familia, and the Picasso Museum, as well as the exhibition “Barcelona: The Archive We Are,” a journey through the living memory of the city. The exhibition ‘Crossing the Door of Memory’ will also be inaugurated at the Archive of the Crown of Aragon, inspired by ‘The Door of Memory. A Comic about the State Archives,’ drawn by Carla Berrocal, which praises the work of custody, conservation, and dissemination of these institutions.
Barcelona, an open and Mediterranean city, will provide a privileged setting for a meeting that combines knowledge, diversity, and cooperation. The congress will be, in the words of its organizers, “a space to think together about how archives can continue to be essential in building fairer, more sustainable, and inclusive societies.”
An appointment to imagine the future
With this edition, the International Archives Congress – ICA Barcelona 2025 focuses on the preservation of documentary heritage and the creation of global networks of innovation and collaboration. Thus, this event not only analyzes how to conserve the past but also how archives can contribute to imagining and building futures.
