- The Catalan capital became the center of debate around the values and development of archival science and its impact on society.
- Malaysia will host the next International Council on Archives Conference in two years’ time
The International Archives Congress – ICA Barcelona 2025 concluded today with a positive outcome, bringing together 2,000 participants from more than 100 countries and positioning Catalonia as a global hub for innovation and development in archival science and records management—key disciplines for safeguarding democracy, protecting historical memory, and defending justice and equality.
“There can be no justice or democracy without a documented, preserved, and accessible memory. Archives are the foundation of trust between citizens and institutions,” stated Josée Kirps, President of the International Council on Archives (ICA), during the closing ceremony held at the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB).
In the same spirit, Joaquim Borràs, Director General for Cultural Heritage of the Government of Catalonia, highlighted “the value of archives as instruments of peace, as guarantors of democracy and respect for human rights. Without archives there is no memory, and without memory, there can be no freedom.” He also underlined the work of archival professionals as “builders of bridges between generations, cultures, and ways of seeing the world,” and emphasized the importance and vitality of this sector in Catalonia.
Ernest Urtasun, Minister of Culture, also attended the closing ceremony of this event, which for four days placed Barcelona at the center of the international debate on the evolution and challenges of archival science and records management. “In the care and protection of archives lies an ethical declaration, one that relates to memory but also to the values that strengthen our sense of community—and therefore, our democratic health—now more than ever threatened by authoritarianism and extremist denialism,” said the Minister.
Meanwhile, Francesc Giménez, President of the Association of Archival and Records Management Professionals of Catalonia, focused on the profession’s challenges ahead: “We face a world where the political, technical, and social focus lies on data—the smallest unit of information. This shift calls upon us as professionals skilled in handling contextualized information, offering a holistic treatment of information throughout its continuum, from system design onward.”
“Knowing Pasts, Creating Futures”
The International Archives Congress – ICA Barcelona 2025 is the world’s leading gathering in the field of archival and records management, led by the International Council on Archives (ICA) and organized in partnership with the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council, Spanish Ministry of Culture, and the Association of Archival and Records Management Professionals of Catalonia.
Under the theme “Knowing Pasts, Creating Futures,” the Congress explored how archives can address sector-wide challenges through five main axes: Managing Memories / Preserving Identities; Conflicts, Disasters, and Displacement; Documents and Rights; Digital and Accessible; and The Future of Archives.
The program included notable sessions such as the opening keynote “Archives Ready for AI: Understanding the Past with the Tools of the Future,” delivered by Catalan scientist Mercè Crosas from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, focusing on the ethical application of artificial intelligence in archives.
Historian Alan Cobley, Emeritus Professor at the University of the West Indies (Barbados), presented “Decoloniality, Reparations, Digitization, and AI: The New Paradigms Shaping Caribbean Archives in the 21st Century,” reflecting on archival decolonization and global south memory.
The program concluded with a talk by renowned U.S. archivist Trudy Huskamp Peterson, “Hope as a Discipline: Archives and Human Rights,” a compelling argument for the role of archives in processes of justice and reparation.
Malaysia, the Next Host Country
During the closing ceremony of the ICA Barcelona 2025 Congress, Malaysia was announced as the host of the next International Archives Conference, to be held in 2027.
“This transition from Barcelona to Sarawak symbolizes what we wish for our community: an ICA that moves forward, opening up to other continents, languages, and professional experiences—an ICA that is truly global,” said the ICA President about the next destination of the archival debate.
The Congress concluded with the handover of the ICA flag from Spain’s Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, to representatives of the organizing committee of the upcoming Malaysian conference.
