World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

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Audio-visual means both sound and visual component. It also refers to the production or use of such works, or the equipment involved in presenting such works. Audiovisual components include a wide variety of platforms. These include television, radio, CD's, DVD's, video recording, audio recording etc. Various means of audio-visual serve a great purpose in many fields of study. Throughout the history various important audio-video records have been destroyed due to negligence or lack of proper storage and conservation. To address this issue, the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is annually observed on October 27 to build global awareness of issues on preserving audiovisual material, such as sound recordings and moving images.

History - Many sound recordings, moving images and other audiovisual material are lost because of neglect, natural decay and technological obsolescence. Organizations such as UNESCO felt that more audiovisual documents would be lost if stronger and concerted international action was not taken. A proposal to commemorate a World Day for Audiovisual Heritage was approved at a UNESCO general conference in 2005. The first World Day for Audiovisual Heritage was held on October 27, 2007. The date is significant because it was on 27th October -1980, that the General Conference adopted the “Recommendation for the safeguarding and preservation of moving images”, the first international instrument to declare the cultural and historical importance of film and television recordings, and calling for decisive steps to ensure their preservation. The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage aims to raise general awareness of the need for urgent measures to be taken. It also focuses on acknowledging the importance of audiovisual documents as an integral part of national identity.

Events - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) works with organizations, governments and communities promote the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on October 27 each year.

Activities and events include:

• Competitions, such as a logo contest, to promote the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.
• Local programs organized as a joint effort between national film archives, audiovisual societies, television or radio stations, and governments.
• Panel discussions, conferences, and public talks on the importance of preserving important audiovisual documents.
• Special film screenings.  

Countries previously involved in observing the day included (but were not exclusive to) Canada, Denmark, Thailand, and the United States.

Symbols - UNESCO launched new logo for World Day for Audiovisual Heritage in 2009. The winning design, which was submitted by Mr Achilleus Coronel of the Philippines, was chosen by a Jury comprising members of the coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA).The design represents cellulose film stock that forms an adorned box symbolizing collected media in its traditional state. The two arrows to the right are the universal symbol of the ‘forward’ button and represent archiving of media for future generations. These arrows also form a stack of boxes or an icon that can stand for a database or hard-disk storage. When combined, this symbol typifies forwarding media to a hard-disk or simply ‘save’. UNESCO’s logo is often used in promotional material for the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. This logo features a drawing of a temple with the “UNESCO” acronym under the roof of the temple and on top of the temple’s foundation. Underneath the temple are the words “United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization”. This l

Holiday Status - It is not a public holiday.