Library of Congress, World Digital Library, Carnegie Corporation of New York Make Possible “Virtual Repatriation”

In a ceremony at the U.S. Department of State with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – joined by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and Carnegie Corporation of New York President Vartan Gregorian — announced the gift of a collection of digitized treasures from the holdings of the Library of Congress relating to the culture and history of Afghanistan to libraries and universities in Afghanistan. The gift was made possible by a $2 million grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York in support of the World Digital Library, a cooperative international project led by the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress will add Afghan treasures to the WDL as well as provide copies of these treasures toAfghan institutions. These include the National Library of Afghanistan, the American University of Afghanistan, Badakhsan University, Balkh University, Bamiyan University, Herat University, Kabul University, Kandahar University, and Nangarhar University.

The collection presented includes manuscripts, rare books, maps, and photographs. It is the first part of what will be many thousands of items from and about Afghanistan and neighboring countries with which it has interacted over the centuries.

The project is an example of the “virtual repatriation” that is made possible by digital technologies and that is one of the key objectives of the WDL. “Making cultural treasures of global value available to all the people of the world is one of the greatest gifts the digital age has given us,” Billington said. “The World Digital Library has made it possible for people of all cultures to look at the gems of each other’s learning and art in any of seven languages, and this vehicle of understanding is available 24 hours a day.”

“As Secretary Clinton prepares to leave her post at the helm of the State Department, it is fitting that one of her last official acts is this important gesture of our country’s goodwill and friendship toward the Afghan people,” Gregorian said. “These digitized manuscripts serve as the living expression not only of Afghanistan’s history but also the heritage of its people. With this treasure-trove of knowledge, Afghans will be able to travel through the record of their civilization, its triumphs and failures, and experience its legacy of intellectual, scientific and artistic achievements.”

“We hope this compendium of knowledge will serve as a guide to the Afghan people as they continue their efforts to reconstruct their country and secure its future. I would like to salute the legacy of Hillary Clinton, our great Secretary of State; James Billington, our devoted Librarian of Congress, and Zahir Tanin, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, for his assistance in our effort.”

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 155 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its website at www.loc.gov.

The World Digital Library is a website, accessible from anywhere in the world, which presents in digital form documents of cultural significance, free of charge, about all countries and cultures. The concept was first proposed by the Librarian of Congress and the site was launched in 2009. WDL partners currently include more than 160 libraries, museums and archives from 77 countries, makes available online the world’s historic treasures. The WDL now features items in 91 languages and about all 194 United Nations member states. Resources available on the site – which presents its information in a user’s choice of seven languages – include manuscripts, maps, rare books, sound recordings, films, prints and photographs.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. In keeping with this mandate, the corporation’s work focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of our democracy.

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PR 13-009
01/10/13
ISSN 0731-3527

January 7^th, 2013 at the Delegates Entrance

On Monday evening, the opening of a fascinating art exhibit titled, “Wakhan, an Other Afghanistan”, was unveiled at the United Nations headquarters.  The exhibit chronicles the journey of two French photographers, Fabrice Nadjari & Cedric Houin, as they traveled through the Wakhan corridor in Northeast Afghanistan.  The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the UN in collaboration with the French consulate and other agencies.

During their journey through the Wakhan corridor, Fabrice and Cedric traveled 180 miles, beginning in the Hindu Kush Mountains to the Western Himalayas and the border of China.  While on their trek, they documented two tribes, the Wakhis and the Kyrgyz tribes through a pictorial documentary.

At the opening ceremony, H.E. Dr. Zahir Tanin, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the UN addressed the large crowd of attendees.  Ambassador Tanin talked about the wonderful images by saying that, “here you can see the landscape that represents the natural features of the broader central Asian region.  The people of Wakhan share lineage with people from the greater area.”

Ambassador Tanin then touched on the Wakhan and greater Afghan geographical regional importance when he stated that, “Afghanistan is viewed as a crossroads, a meeting point of different regions, a distinguished place in the Heart of Asia….Due to its unique location,” he said, “Wakhan exemplifies in its own way a crossroads, and today it can bring regions together, rather than separating them.”

The exhibit brought together citizens from varied backgrounds including United Nations Ambassadors, staff members, press, art enthusiasts, the local Afghan community, and all interested and enthusiastic people from the community.

Other co-sponsors of the event were the French Consulate, BBC, CNN, National Geographic, The New York Times, ABC, Nikon, PDN, Herald Sun, Mail Online, Artnet, Impossible, and Duggal Visual Solution.  The exhibit will be on display at the delegate’s entrance from January 7^th – 18^th.

On Wednesday the 19^th of December, the Security Council convened to consider the Situation in Afghanistan for the final time in 2012.   The meeting updated activities of the United Nations in Afghanistan, including humanitarian, developmental and human rights efforts as well as provided a summary of political and security developments and regional and international events relating to the country over the last 3 months.

The Council’s consideration began with a briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) to Afghanistan, Mr. Jan Kubis.  He highlighted the many challenges ahead in Afghanistan by saying that they, “required both the Government and its international partners to follow through firmly on commitments made in recent international conferences,” but he also emphasized encouraging developments such as the “unthinkable progress that wouldn’t have been possible a decade ago.”  Mr. Kubis touched on two main positive developments, the Chicago and Tokyo conferences on Afghanistan, that provided a solid foundation for the partnership required in the period during and beyond the transition to national leadership in security, governance and development.

H.E. Dr. Zahir Tanin, Ambassador and Permanent Representative then delivered a statement on behalf of Afghanistan.  In his statement Ambassador Tanin noted that Afghanistan is on track to complete the security transition by end of 2013 and welcomed the encouraging support of the international community.  Ambassador Tanin also highlighted that while security is a primary focus, “Afghanistan’s stability is about more than security; political and economic aspects of transition are inextricably linked to security efforts”.  A sentiment echoed by other Member States later in the debate. Ambassador Tanin focused on five overarching themes, security, national reconciliation, free and fair elections, regional cooperation and development; through which he painted a picture about the current situation in Afghanistan and the prospects for the years ahead.

Echoing the report of the Secretary-General and the remarks by SRSG Kubis Ambassador Tanin noted the need for continual attention to the role of the United Nations in Afghanistan to, “ensure the necessary close and productive partnership between the UN and Afghanistan through transition and the transformation decade to come”.  In closing Ambassador Tanin emphasized that this is a critical time in which Afghanistan and the international community have an “opportunity to make significant progress if we maintain our momentum and focus in the coming months”.

Throughout the continuing discussion, United Nations Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the peace, security and development in Afghanistan. With participants’ remarks centered on the international frameworks for support to Afghanistan that had been developed in recent conferences for the transition period and beyond, and supporting UNAMA’s continued role, they also expressed concern over the continued insurgency and its high civilian toll, stressing the need to ensure that drawdown of international forces and other changes did not weaken the fight against the scourge, speakers also touched on the reconciliation efforts, curbing narcotics trafficking, and the repatriation of refugees.

The member states that spoke included the permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council and representatives from Iran, Turkey, Japan, Australia, and the European Union.