PARIS -- The Executive Board of UNESCO on Thursday approved a plan to reform its Memory of the World screening system, which has been muddled over such applications as documents concerning the issue of so-called comfort women.
In its comprehensive review, the Paris-based U.N. body will establish a system that will allow the filing of an objection to an application by a member state. If the relevant states are unable to reach an agreement through dialogue, the materials in question will not be included in the Memory of the World register.
The Japanese government took the initiative in calling for the reform, citing the need to prevent the program from being used for political purposes.
UNESCO launched Memory of the World in 1992 to preserve and provide access to historically important documents and materials. As of 2017, about 430 items, such as France's Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, have been registered. Materials from Japan on the register include Midokanpakuki, the original handwritten diary of Fujiwara no Michinaga, and the collection of paintings and diaries of coal miner Sakubei Yamamoto.
The reform plan, approved by the Executive Board during an online meeting, was previously agreed on by a working group of 32 member states, including Japan, China and South Korea. Under the new system, only national governments will be eligible to file applications. If a member state is against an application, it can file an objection within 90 days of the application.
Even if there are no objections, UNESCO's Executive Board, which consists of 58 member states, will make a final decision on the registration instead of the body's director general.
In 2017, UNESCO put off the Memory of the World registration of documents related to comfort women, for which civic groups from countries such as South Korea, China and Japan filed applications. These documents will not be subject to the new system as the applications were made before the reform plan takes effect.
How UNESCO will deal with such a matter will be revealed in the future, though a person close to the Japanese government said, "It should be handled appropriately based on the new system."
When documents related to the Nanjing Incident, over which Japan and China have been at odds about the number of victims and other matters, were added to the Memory of the World register in 2015, the Japanese government opposed it. Combined with the applications filed for documents concerning comfort women, Japan has been calling for reforms to enhance the neutrality and transparency of the screening system.
Previously, any parties including those in the private sector were allowed to apply. The International Advisory Committee, which comprises experts in document management, then conducted screenings behind closed doors. The UNESCO director general endorsed the listings.
Calling for an overhaul of the system, the Japanese government has raised questions over the system in which the process of screenings is opaque and member states are not allowed to take part in the process. It has also argued that such a system could allow it to be used for political purposes. These claims were reflected in the new screening system.
During the meeting on Thursday, the Executive Board also decided to resume accepting new applications for Memory of the World listings by the end of this year. It has suspended the acceptance of applications since 2017. Any new listings are expected to be registered in 2023.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato welcomed the approval of the reform plan during a regular press conference on Friday.
"We welcome that the points of improvement that our country has been calling for were included," he said. "We will continue to be engaged in the operation of the system to help UNESCO achieve the aim of its establishment, which is to promote friendship and mutual understanding among member states."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
