Dr. Alex Manby, political and historical geographer at the University of Oxford and Prof. Fiona McConnell, Professor of Political Geography at the University of Oxford and UNPO Advisor

Introduction

There is a long history of archives providing evidence in humanitarian and legal contexts, for instance, in truth and reconciliation commissions, refugee claims, and restorative justice initiatives. For UNPO members, archives serve all these purposes. However, archives also fulfil another critically important role, one often overlooked in discussions of the relationship between archives and human rights: they serve as evidence of claims to peoplehood and, consequently, to self-determination. This article explores four ways by which archives can support unrepresented communities in their struggles for social, cultural, and political rights. It then outlines some of the challenges of archiving for Indigenous and minority communities, and concludes by discussing UNPO’s ongoing work in this field.

i. Evidencing peoplehood

For UNPO members, recognition of peoplehood – and therefore eligibility for collective rights – often depends on demonstrating historical continuity, longstanding diplomatic presence, and a clearly defined political and cultural distinctiveness. In recent years, several digital archive platforms have emerged to support this process, including Docip (the Indigenous Peoples’ Center for Documentation, Research and Information) and Minority Forum Info. These platforms collect and preserve records of Indigenous and minority communities’ participation in international forums, such as speeches and submissions to UN meetings, General Assembly resolutions, and other significant legal documents. Similar initiatives have also developed at the national level. In recent years, numerous ‘treaty archives’ have been established in the USA, Canada, and New Zealand. By providing documentary evidence of treaties, ancestral territories, and histories of displacement, these initiatives strengthen First Nation communities’ legal battles for recognition, land, and resources.

ii. Preserving culture and collective memory

Article 15 of UNPO’s Universal Declaration of the Rights of Peoples – ratified by its VI General Assembly in 2001 – affirms that ‘all peoples have the right to self-identification and to know, learn, preserve, and develop their own culture, history, language, religion, and customs’. Archives play a crucial role in realising this right. By preserving evidence of language, culture, and traditional knowledge that might otherwise be lost through forced assimilation, archives help unrepresented communities sustain their identity in the face of attempts by states to divide them. This is particularly important for diaspora communities, for whom digital archives offer new opportunities to reassemble fragmented materials and collaborate across distances to build shared historical narratives. For instance, members of the UK-based Kurdish diaspora, together with academics and archivists at the University of Exeter, have worked to digitise and make accessible key Kurdish materials in the University’s collection, and to collaborate with other Kurdish archives and institutions around the world to preserve and disseminate Kurdish cultural heritage. ‘National archives’ have also been established by other UNPO member communities, including the Nagas, Hmong, and Tibetans. Archives can also play a crucial role in helping UNPO member organisations strengthen their institutional memory and inform contemporary advocacy efforts. In recent years, UNPO has beenworking with academics from the University of Oxford (UK) and partners at the Institute of the Rights of Peoples (Estonia) and the Archives of National Movements (Netherlands) to collate and digitise its institutional archives to learn from its history and enhance organisational transparency.

iii. Building counter-narratives

Many UNPO members face persecution for expressing their distinct identities and are further marginalised by state efforts to distort their historical narratives. Such misinformation campaigns increasingly rely on digital tools, including artificial intelligence and social media platforms, to amplify and spread harmful or misleading content. In this context, archives can act as a counterweight, enabling communities to advocate against the misuse and exploitation of their cultural heritage and ensuring they retain control over how their culture is represented and shared. For instance, by collecting a wide range of official and unofficial documents related to Palestinian
history, the Palestinian Museum Digital Archive serves as a vital resource to challenge dehumanising narratives and to foreground the stories of ordinary Palestinians.

iv. Documenting human rights violations

In the struggle for social, cultural, and political rights, archives also serve as powerful tools for advocacy. They provide evidence in international forums and form the basis of reports submitted to the United Nations and regional human rights bodies. The Myanmar Witness Archive, for instance, is one of several open-source intelligence initiatives that document, analyse, and verify evidence of
human rights violations in the country. By sharing this information with civil society and media organisations, the Witness Archive helps to lay the groundwork for future transitional justice mechanisms in Myanmar. Similar initiatives have also been established in other conflict and post-conflict societies. The Documenta archive was founded in 2006 to establish the ‘factual truth’ about historical conflict in Yugoslavia in order to ‘build sustainable peace in Croatia and the region’ and initiate public debate about the past. Beyond advocacy, archives also serve as vital resources for education and academic research. They enable scholars, students, and community members to engage with primary materials, foster intergenerational learning, and strengthen public understanding of unrepresented peoples’ histories. Archives can also facilitate reconciliation and dialogue within unrepresented communities, helping to rebuild trust and collective identity after periods of conflict.

Challenges for unrepresented communities

Despite their value, many unrepresented communities face serious obstacles to building and maintaining archival collections. Political repression, censorship, and confiscation of materials all pose direct threats to such efforts. Moreover, while an important first step, community collation of documentary materials is often itself insufficient to give documentary materials the necessary authority to be considered ‘trustworthy’ by organisations like the UN. Instead, formal archiving practices, including the appraisal, verification, and contextualisation of materials are vital in order to accredit materials for use in advocacy. Finally, while offering significant opportunities for unrepresented communities, digitisation is also no panacea. While preserving ‘at-risk’ materials from physical destruction, digital archives are vulnerable to internet shutdowns, content moderation, and state reprisals.

Moving forward

To address these challenges, collaborative approaches are crucial. Partnerships between UNPO members, academics, and international archival institutions can help build capacity and develop secure digital infrastructures. As part of UNPO’s ‘Preserving identities, Re-owning narratives’ campaign UNPO will continue to work to collect and make accessible key documents related to
members’ cultures, histories, and identities.

Archives are not merely about the past. For unrepresented nations and peoples, they are living resources through which communities can assert their claims to identity, peoplehood, and self-determination in the present, and thus build collective futures.