The Department for Archives and Records Management of the Justice Ministry held a board meeting
On September 30, 2020, the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Justice Ministry of the Republic of Belarus held a board meeting to discuss the following issues:
1. On the preparation of state archival institutions for the autumn-winter period of 2020/2021
2. On the preparation of the draft Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Archives and Records Management”
3. On the international activities of the Department for Archives and Records Management and state archival institutions
On the first issue, the Board noted that the state archival institutions have completed preparation for the autumn-winter period of 2020/2021. Noteworthy is the positive work of state archival institutions on the implementation of planned activities and the timely receipt of certificates of readiness of heat sources and heat consumers. The state archival institutions have spent both budgetary and extra-budgetary funds on preparations for the autumn-winter period.
On the second issue, the Board noted that in 2019-2020 the Department for Archives and Records Management and relevant archival institutions carried out preliminary work on the preparation of the draft Law of the Republic of Belarus, specifying the amendments and additions to the Law of the Republic of Belarus of November 25, 2011 No. 323-З “On Archives and Records Management in the Republic of Belarus “. Special attention was paid to archival terminology, remote storage of documents, the status of territorial (municipal and regional) archives of local executive and administrative bodies, the procedure for storing documents during the reorganization of an institution, time schedules for temporary storage of documents, the contents of archival documents with restricted access, the procedure for transferring the originals and copies of documents of the National Archival Fonds. Based on the results of the discussion, the Board decided to finalize the controversial issues by December 10, 2020 and to form the final text of the draft Law by January 1, 2021.
On the third issue, the Board noted that key importance in the international activities of the Department for Archives and Records Management and state archival institutions is given to work within international organizations and associations of archivists. The Department is a member of the professional archival association of the International Council on Archives (ICA) and is a member of its Euro-Asian Regional Branch (EURASICA). There is a tendency to expand the list of international contacts of the archival industry in the Republic of Belarus. In 2016-2020 the official delegations and representatives of archival services from about 11 countries, including Armenia, Kazakhstan, China, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Finland, the Sultanate of Oman, and the USA, visited the state archival institutions in Belarus and took part in various events. The Belarusian delegation paid return visits to Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, the Sultanate of Oman, and Finland. The European Union’s Mobility Project MOST is used in the development of international relations.
The Board also heard information on the implementation of the Directive of the President of the Republic of Belarus of March 11, 2004 No. 1 “On measures to strengthen public safety and discipline” at the Central Laboratory for Microfilming and Restoration of Records of the National Archival Fonds of the Republic of Belarus.