The following preamble and resolutions were agreed to by members of the Rescuing the Memory of our Peoples Conference on Saturday 5 October, 2002.

Preamble

As members of the Conference “Rescuing the Memory of our Peoples”, connected with some 25 countries around the globe, we acknowledge the limitations of our representation and of our understanding of the complexities of the task before us, but we also accept our calling and responsibility to play our part to rescue the memory of our peoples, particularly in relation to the historical and ongoing experience of Christian communities in mission.

Resolutions

 1.    We will continue to work together locally, regionally and internationally and with others to Rescue the Memory of our Peoples in ways which take seriously the changes in the demography of Christian faith in our time.

 2.    We will seek to raise the profile of archives, libraries and documentation, and of research, action and reflection, so that our churches, agencies, institutions, universities, and international bodies, recognize the significance for humanity of the memory of peoples in every country and culture.

 3.    We will make use of statements such as the document “Archives for Mission in the 21^st Century” and translate and adapt these to the needs of our own communities.

 4.    We will encourage training and good practice at every level, including use of the “Archives Training Manual and Video,” and by encouraging its adaptation to the needs of different contexts.