India Hosts SWARBICA Executive Body Meeting, Focuses on Digital Archival Preservation

New Delhi: The two-day Executive Body Meeting of the Heads of Archives of the South and West Asian Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (SWARBICA) commenced today at the India International Centre, New Delhi. The event, hosted by the National Archives of India, was inaugurated by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister for Tourism and Culture, Government of India.

The meeting saw the participation of representatives from the National Archives of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, while Pakistan joined the sessions virtually. However, the National Archives of Iran was unable to attend due to visa-related issues.

Addressing the gathering, Shekhawat emphasized the shared cultural and religious heritage among SWARBICA member countries and stressed the importance of exchange programs, digital preservation, and archival conservation training to strengthen regional collaboration.

This meeting marks the first SWARBICA Executive Body gathering in eight years, following the previous session held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2017. Shri Arun Singhal, Director General of the National Archives of India and Treasurer of SWARBICA, presented a detailed overview of India’s archival digitization initiatives, outlining the country’s progress in preserving historical records.

As part of the event, the National Archives of India will also host a seminar on “Using AI for Digital Preservation in Archives” on February 21, 2025. The seminar will explore the role of Artificial Intelligence in archival conservation, with experts from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and SAMHiTA (International Research Division, India International Centre) sharing insights on AI’s transformative impact on record preservation.

Established in 1976, SWARBICA serves as a regional platform for archivists to collaborate, exchange knowledge, and enhance archival management across South and West Asia. The idea for SWARBICA was first proposed in 1973 during an Executive Committee Meeting of the International Council on Archives in Brussels, Belgium, and was formally launched at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.