Director welcomes inscription of Magna Carta in UNESCO Memory of the World Programme

Director David Dawson is Chair of the UNESCO UK Commission Memory of the World Working Group.

The UNESCO UK Commission press release reads
"The four surviving copies of the 1215 Magna Carta have been awarded ‘Memory of the World’ status by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today, in recognition of their outstanding universal value. With their Inscription on the Memory of the World Register, the documents, held by the British Library, Salisbury Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral, join the ranks of some of the world’s most significant documentary heritage.

“The four surviving copies of 1215 Magna Carta are a unique testament to the world’s rich documentary heritage,” says David Dawson, Chair of the UK Memory of the World Committee. “It is exactly these types of documents that the Memory of the World Register seeks to help preserve and promote access to.”

On 30 July, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, approved the inscription following a recommendation by the 14-member International Advisory Committee of UNESCO’s Memory of the World programme."